Exploring the future of refreshment with Sparkling Refresher and Spritz
At Starbucks, innovation starts with listening to customers and partners (employees) and exploring new ways to evolve the Starbucks experience. As consumer interest in refreshment and sparkling beverages continues to grow, particularly in the afternoon, we’re testing new beverage experiences to better understand customer demand.
Beginning July 28, we will launch a small market test for handcrafted, sparkling refreshment beverages in approximately 100 coffeehouses across Austin and San Antonio and St. Louis. The test will evaluate customer demand, operational execution and the role sparkling beverages could play in our long-term refreshment strategy, while supporting our focus on menu innovation and afternoon growth.
Building on the success of Starbucks Refreshers, we are extending a platform that has already demonstrated strong customer appeal. And we are also introducing the Starbucks Spritz Collection which brings together real fruit with coffee, tea or lemonade.
Participating coffeehouses will offer the following sparkling versions of Starbucks Energy Refreshers, as well as the classic version:
- Super Mango Energy Refresher: All in on mango with a handcrafted blend of bold mango flavors, balanced by bright lemonade and refreshing dragonfruit, hand-shaken with ice, real dragonfruit pieces and topped with sparkling water for a light taste and refreshing finish.
- Sparkling Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Energy Refresher: A sparkling blend of mango and dragonfruit flavors, vibrant lemonade and real dragonfruit pieces for a bright, tropical sip.
- Sparkling Mango Strawberry Lemonade Energy Refresher: Sweet mango and juicy strawberry flavors come together with lemonade and sparkling water, hand-shaken with real strawberry pieces.
- Sparkling Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Energy Refresher: Sweet strawberry and açaí flavors are paired with lemonade and sparkling water, finished with real strawberry pieces for a bright, refreshing sip.
The Starbucks Spritz Collection includes:
- Sparkling Cold Brew Sour Spritz: A sparkling fusion of coffee and citrus flavors, crafted with cold brew, lemonade, classic syrup and light bubbles, served over ice for a bright, uplifting sip.
- Strawberry Sunset Spritz: A sparkling fusion of real strawberry purée, lemonade, green tea, and light bubbles, served over ice for a bright, juicy sip.
- Golden Peach Spritz: A sparkling fusion of peach and citrus flavors, handcrafted with real peach fruit purée, lemonade, Passion Tango® tea and light bubbles, served over ice for a bright, juicy finish.
- Strawberry Matcha Spritz: A sparkling combination of real strawberry purée and sweetened matcha, served over ice for a bright, refreshing sip.
Together, these beverages showcase the versatility of the sparkling platform, spanning fruit-forward refreshment, tea-based beverages and coffee innovation, offering handcrafted beverages that are uniquely Starbucks.
The test builds on more than a decade of refreshment innovation at Starbucks, beginning with the launch of Starbucks Refreshers beverages in 2012. Since then, the platform has grown to include customer-created favorites like the Pink Drink, seasonal flavors, texture additions like raspberry-flavored pearls, and the most recent innovations such as customizable Energy Refreshers and Blended Refreshers.
Today, Refreshers is a $2 billion platform for Starbucks in U.S. company-operated coffeehouses, and new additions continue to drive new occasions and expand customer usage throughout the day. Sparkling beverages represent the next step in creating even more ways for customers to enjoy the category Starbucks helped pioneer.
