Starbucks just added a vegan, Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink option to its summer menu.
The new drink combines guava, passionfruit, pineapple, and ginger with coconut milk and ice. The Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink joins the two “fan-favorite” coconut milk beverages introduced in March. These include the Iced Golden Ginger Drink and the Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink.
All three vegan options are hand-shaken with ice and coconut milk for a “smooth and creamy” beverage. The Golden Ginger Drink includes a “sunny” blend of ginger, pineapple, and turmeric. While the Pineapple Matcha Drink is made from premium matcha, pineapple, and ginger.
“Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink is the perfect blend of pineapple and matcha with a hint of coconut,” Kris Murray, product specialist for the Starbucks Beverage Research & Development team, said in a statement.
While many businesses remain closed due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Starbucks just reopened 85 percent of stores in the U.S. In an email sent to LIVEKINDLY, a Starbucks representative said they expect more than 90 percent of stores to reopen by early June.
The coffee chain aims to “exceed the standards” outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To this end, Starbucks is emphasizing increased cleaning and sanitizing in all stores. The company is also encouraging customers to use the Starbucks App to check opening hours, order ahead, and use contactless payment.
Starbucks and Uber Eats have partnered to offer customers “Starbucks Delivers”—available in the 48 states where both companies operate. The companies currently offer free delivery.
Vegan Demand and Starbucks
According to Food Navigator, 48 percent of Americans regularly buy both dairy and vegan milk. In general, “dual buyers” cited health as a key factor in their decision to purchase plant-based milk.
Starbucks added Oatly oat milk to its menu at select locations across the midwest earlier this year. Back in 2018, Howard Schultz—the founder and executive chairman of Starbucks—said that the opportunity for vegan food was “huge.”
Recent research from nonprofits the Good Food Institute (GFI) and the Plant Based Foods Association confirms the mainstream popularity of vegan milk. Data taken throughout 2019 shows that 41 percent of U.S. households regularly buy plant-based milk.
