Melissa Allison repotrts in the Seattle Times that Starbucks does not often disclose sales of individual products. It only recently began saying that Frappuccino is a $2 billion-a-year product. But the coffee company is excited enough about reaching $100 million in sales of its instant coffee Via, which officially launched last September. It had been tested in Seattle and Chicago since February 2009.
Read More »Kevin Helliker of the Wall Street Journal reports that in the days ahead, a clue to the long-range growth strategy of Starbucks Corp. will become apparent, though not at its vast chain of coffee shops. Instead look down the coffee aisle of your local grocer
Read More »Steve Monfort reports at NASDAQ that new instant coffee is outselling expectations and cost-cutting is helping the bottom line, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced at a conference in California. The new instant coffee, Via, is offered at U.S. and Canadian Starbucks outlets and some other stores. A pack of three Via pouches costs $2.95. Schultz called Via “not just a new product, but a new growth platform for the company.” Starbucks has yet to offer Via outside North America, but the market for instant coffee overseas is robust. Britons drink far more instant than brewed coffee, for example.
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