ALBAWABA - Starbucks is forging ahead with its controversial plan of introducing olive oil-infused coffee drinks, aiming to expand one of its largest new product offerings in years.
The "Oliato" beverage faced criticism when it first appeared in the United States in March. At that time, it was only available in California, Illinois, New York, and Washington. However, it will now be offered in a larger number of cities.
Starting from Tuesday, consumers will be able to purchase Oliato drinks in the United States such as Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami, as well as several other cities spanning from Alaska to Vermont. According to Starbucks, the Oliato drink menu includes the addition of a spoonful of olive oil, which adds 120 calories. It has been reported that the coffee-olive oil blend caused digestive issues for some individuals. Once the opportunity to try the new beverages arose, consumer opinions flowed in.
A couple of reviewers published a video titled "We Tried Starbucks Olive Oil Coffee Drinks and We Regret It Deeply."
Others had mixed feelings but concluded that the Oliato beverage was worth trying, although it might not necessarily be worth buying again.
The platform "Tasting Table" believes that the purpose of this beverage line is to attract attention. In their review, they stated, "We believe this beverage line is meant to make headlines, but it won't last long." Indeed, the launch of the beverage line garnered global publicity, and the drinks themselves piqued consumer interest.
How did the idea for Oliato come about? It was the brainchild of former CEO Howard Schultz, who announced a new line of beverages that would create a major buzz before handing over the reins to current CEO, Laxman Narasimhan.
The idea came about after Schultz met with an olive oil producer who introduced him to the practice of consuming a tablespoon of olive oil daily. Schultz adopted this habit and wondered if he could integrate it into his daily coffee routine. So, he asked Starbucks' beverage team if they could make it happen—and they did!
Narasimhan commented last month on the launch of the beverage line, calling it "extremely successful" and describing it as "one of the top five products launched in the past five years in terms of impacting consumer brand awareness and igniting excitement."
Health Benefits
An article in the American Journal of Cardiology published a study indicating that consuming olive oil reduces the risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases and decreases the chances of sudden death due to heart diseases and Alzheimer's.
