Starbucks’ new Oleato coffee drink.
Starbucks
Starbucks The controversial line of olive oil drinks will leave U.S. stores in early November.
A company spokesman said the decision to remove the Oleato drink from domestic menus preceded new CEO Brian Niccol, who arrived at Starbucks in early September. However, a spokesperson said this is in line with Nicol’s strategy of simplifying the menu as part of a broader turnaround plan to “return to Starbucks.”
Bloomberg The news of the drinks leaving was reported first.
Starbucks will release its fourth-quarter earnings after the bell on Wednesday. In preliminary results, the company said its sales fell for the third consecutive quarter as weak demand in the United States and China hurt its results.
Wall Street has high hopes for Nicholl’s leadership, including ending the outsized influence of former CEO Howard Schultz, who came up with the idea for the Oleato series.
The Oleato beverage line incorporates Partanna olive oil into Starbucks’ lattes, iced shake espresso and cold foam. Baristas steam olive oil and oat milk together to create a latte, shake it in iced espresso, and then infuse it into vanilla sweet cream foam to pair with cold brew coffee.
Schutz imagined the Oleato series after a trip to Italy, where he saw Sicilians drinking olive oil on a daily basis. He also started drinking olive oil with his daily coffee and decided Starbucks should try mixing the two together. Before the reveal, he jokingly called the idea “alchemy” and a “game changer.”
According to Starbucks, Oleato means “oil” in Italian.
Starbucks will first launch the line in Italy before bringing it to stores in Southern California in spring 2023.
But customers seemed to disagree with Schutz’s high praise for the drinks. Early reviews in the U.S. media were mostly negative, with some Social media users complained These drinks have a laxative effect.
Cafes in China, Italy and Japan will continue to offer Oleato drinks.
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