Starbucks, the world's largest coffee chain, has unveiled a new, transformational innovation in coffee with its Oleato range - arabica coffee infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil. The new beverage was unveiled this week at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan and across Starbucks stores in Italy before a wider global launch later this year.
Oleato presents a line of coffee beverages that brings together the unexpected – Starbucks arabica coffee infused with a spoonful of Partanna cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. The result is smooth, sweet coffee that uplifts each cup with an extraordinary new flavour and texture. The new beverage platform which launched in Starbucks stores in Italy on 22nd February, includes: Oleato™ Caffè Latte, Oleato™ Iced Shaken Espresso and Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew.
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan will also debut five beverages to customers: Oleato™ Caffè Latte, Oleato™ Iced Cortado, Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew, Oleato™ Deconstructed and Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Espresso Martini. Starbucks will begin to introduce the beverages in select markets around the world, starting with Southern California in the United States this spring. Later this year, Japan, the Middle East and the United Kingdom will launch the beverages.
Howard Schultz, Starbucks interim chief executive officer, spoke about the new innovation: "During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the sense of community, connection, and passion for coffee I found in the city's espresso bars. It was that trip that inspired me to bring the ritual of handcrafted espresso to Starbucks and to America. Oleato represents the next revolution in coffee that brings together an alchemy of nature's finest ingredients – Starbucks arabica coffee beans and Partanna cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Today I feel just as inspired as I did 40 years ago, Oleato has opened our eyes to fresh new possibilities and a transformational way to enjoy our daily coffee."
Partanna created a highly curated blend of extra virgin olive oil from the finest Mediterranean olives, including the high-quality Nocellara del Belice (also called Castelvetrano) olives from Partanna, Sicily. The blend was thoughtfully selected to pair perfectly with Starbucks coffee, which is then skilfully infused in the beverage to unlock a smooth and delicious experience like no other.
We covered the wider trend of umami - the savoury taste - in our trend book at the end of last year as more and more people look to experiment with the taste. This includes the use of olive oil in a range of food and drink. tfp trendhub subscribers can read the trend prediction in full here. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested in receiving our regular trend reporting then get in touch using the form below.