Starbucks continues an aggressive expansion into new markets with the announcement of its latest venture—Refreshers fruit-flavored energy drinks.
Despite being carbonated and fruit-flavored, the drinks are stil made with coffee—more specifically, a virtually flavorless extract of green, unroasted coffee. They also contain less caffeine than energy drinks made from roasted beans.
Refreshers will be available initially in Raspberry Pomegranate, Orange Melon and Strawberry Lemonade flavors. The drinks should be rolling out to 160,000 locations by the end of April. If you want to give it a shot, a $1-off coupon is currently available on the Starbucks website.
Source
Seattle’s Best Coffee, a subsidiary of Starbucks, has launched a campaign called ‘Create Your Deliciousness,’ a campaign that invites consumers to customize their morning brews using the brand’s Facebook app.
The Create Your Deliciousness campaign is a year-long campaign that wants people to define what they deem is the best cup of coffee through their own “unique add-ins and toppings” (which are not your run-of-the-mill chocolate sprinkles or milk substitutes). For instance, more than 80 percent of surveyed Americans have stated that they will go to bizarre lengths to customize their drinks with things like candy and even cayenne pepper! So, the online campaign offers participants a variety of unique toppings, ranging from mini-marshmallows to fruit-flavored cereals so that they can create their dream cup of coffee. Participants get a chance to win a 12-oz. bag of Seattle’s Best Coffee and, according to BrandChannel, the results of the campaign will influence future “innovation decisions.”
Source
Starbucks explained that recently removing the word “coffee” from its logo freed up the company to branch out into new products. One of those products appears to be alcohol as the company looks to expand on this offering to new locations in Atlanta and Southern California. They also plan on boozing-up select Chicago locations by the end of 2012.
Starbucks began selling beer and wine in a handful of Seattle-area Starbucks locations starting in 2010.
“As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about,” Clarice Turner, Starbucks’ senior vice president of U.S. operations, said in a news release.
Starbucks noted that it does not expect to bring beer and wine sales to all of its 11,000 cafes, but it’s clear that they plan on taking the offering nationwide.
Source
These Starbucks Frappucino Cupcakes were crafted by the talented blogger Kim from the delicious blog Kimz Kitchen. These coffee-spiked cakes are made all the more adorably tempting fit snugly into a clever cupcake sleeve made out of an old Starbucks cup and skewered with a tell-tale green straw.
Emulating the popular Starbucks Caramel Frappucino, these Starbucks Frappucino Cupcakes are comprised of an altered version of your usual vanilla cupcakes. The cupcakes are given a shot of java and then taken to a new level of decadence when they are filled with a healthy amount of airy coffee mousse. The petite cakes are topped with a lush Swiss Meringue Buttercream and drizzled with a sumptuous homemade caramel sauce.
Source
In order to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Starbucks commissioned recipients of the past three annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards (Alexander Wang, Sophie Theallet, and Billy Reid) to create a series of limited edition t-shirts. For $85 you can wear a giant coffee stain while you are used as a walking billboard for the brand.
Source
Starbucks Special Edition packaging starts with a different approach to minimizing material used. The brew bundle is labeled with the motto “Less is more,” which acts as a clever description of the cardboard box and the supreme flavorful taste of just a small cup of this brand of coffee.
Appropriately, the parcel contains a tiny round mug designed to be filled with the full-bodied hot beverage, as well as three types of the coffee house’s favorite grounds. The four items are enveloped in a simple corrugated carton that can be effectively assembled by person with no adhesives necessary. Created by Carla Mezher, Starbucks Special Edition packaging saves on the economic and environmental costs of both material and labor.
Source
