Field Journal
A day in the life of a PSL pumpkin
Ever wonder where the pumpkin in PSL comes from?
Let’s spend a day at the farm.
We’ll visit Jeff Leber and his farm in the Walla Walla Valley, near the border of Washington and Oregon. Here, Leber and his team grow the kabocha pumpkins destined for Starbucks fall favorites like Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.
“I go up there and make sure we got the right water and we’re just walking through them and smiling and giving them a little encouragement,” he said. “I say, ‘Come on honey, you can do this.’ You have to giggle a little bit when you’re out there, because we know we’re not in charge. Mother Nature has the final say in it all.”
Jeff Leber, farmer
7 a.m., Sunrise
Harvest begins as the sun rises from behind the Blue Mountains. Pumpkins are picked each autumn when the vines begin to wither, and the pumpkins reach their signature deep orange hue. Leber grows kabocha pumpkins, chosen for their rich, sweet flavor that tastes like pumpkin pie. Each pumpkin typically weighs just 3.5 to 5 pounds.
7:04 a.m., Picture time
Leber pauses for a moment for a few quick photos in the field. He never imagined he would be growing the pumpkins for PSL — he started out as a rancher growing hay and raising cattle. “Everybody thinks I raise jack-o-lanterns, carving pumpkins. And when you tell them you raise them for Pumpkin Spice Lattes, they don’t believe me, of course,” he said.
7:27 a.m., Harvest continues
Just two hours into the workday, Leber’s crew has already harvested half of the day’s crop. Their machine, a retired corn picker retrofitted with a conveyer belt often used for potatoes that lifts the pumpkins from the field, clears away the vines and loads the pumpkins into a scoop moving alongside.
“Watching them being harvested is a lot of fun, they come up the chain at you and that’s all you see is bouncing little pumpkins,” Leber said. “Pretty simple machine, but very effective.”
8 a.m., Load ’em up
The first loads of pumpkins are scooped into waiting containers, each one carrying about 21 tons (or 42,000 pounds) of pumpkins and taken by truck to a processing plant in nearby Othello, Washington.
1:32 p.m., Bath time
First stop, a good scrub as high-pressure water sprays the pumpkins clean.
3:11 p.m., Pressing the pumpkins
Next, the pumpkins are cut, cooked and pressed into the smooth pumpkin puree used in PSL’s Pumpkin Spice sauce. The whole process takes about a week.
6:30 p.m., A toast to PSL
Workers gather outside the plant as the sun sets to celebrate with mini cups of PSL. Cheers!
Fall starts with Starbucks
Your guide to the season starts here: the latest fall drinks, delicious food, cozy merch and of course, all things Pumpkin Spice Latte!
