Starbucks launched the first batch of Oleato beverages customized for the Chinese market on Friday amid its quicker expansion in the country. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Starbucks further enhances coffee innovation by rolling out its first batch of Oleato beverages, which blend coffee with olive oil, on Friday including a customized drink for the Chinese market amid its quickened expansion in the country.
The company unveiled six Oleato beverages in China, marking the first time globally that a customized lemon cream latte has been created exclusively for the local market.
The Oleato beverages, when arabica coffee meets Partanna extra virgin olive oil, will be available in select Starbucks Reserve stores in the country.
Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder and chairman emeritus, was present at the launch event held at the Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery.
Since debuting in Milan last year, the new beverages have been launched in markets including Italy, the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France.
The lemon cream latte, part of the six Oleato beverages, is created exclusively for the local market in China by Starbucks. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Belinda Wong, chairwoman and co-CEO of Starbucks China, said: "Be it adapting global innovations for China, or creating brand new beverage platforms for the market, we are focused on accelerating beverage innovation to surprise and delight our customers with disruptive concepts that raise the bar for coffee innovation in China."
In Feb, Starbucks' innovation of the braised pork-flavored coffee to tap Spring Festival consumption went viral on social media and was sold out quickly at select stores.
In addition to being creative on its menu, Starbucks has continued to drive up its speed of expansion. This month, Starbucks opened its 1,000th store in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, the third region where the company operates more than 1000 stores. By 2025, the company aims to operate 9,000 stores in 300 cities in the country.
