Starbucks
- Starbucks is rolling out a new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew alongside its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte this year.
- The new drink highlights Starbucks’ growing emphasis on cold beverages, which now make up half of the chain’s sales.
- It also makes sense for Starbucks to roll out a cold drink for the chain’s earliest ever PSL launch date, following one of the hottest summers in recorded history.
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Starbucks is rolling out a PSL-themed cold brew this year.
On Monday, Starbucks announced that a new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew would roll out alongside the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is the first new pumpkin coffee beverage to join Starbucks’ menu in 16 years, and it will combine the chain’s cold brew, vanilla, pumpkin cream foam, and pumpkin spice topping.
Read more: Starbucks confirms that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is coming back earlier than ever before
Both drinks will hit menus on Tuesday, August 27. And, both offer some key insights into Starbucks’ strategy.
Here’s why Starbucks is rolling out a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew:
Starbucks is going all in on cold drinks.
Starbucks
As mentioned in a press release on Monday, 50% of beverage orders at Starbucks are now cold beverages, up from 37% in 2013.
Much of this growth has come from cold brew-based drinks. As customers have moved away from Frappuccinos, these more upscale, cold beverages have helped boost sales. So, it makes sense that Starbucks would develop a cold brew version of one of its most iconic drinks.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte is coming back earlier than ever.
Shayanne Gal/Business Insider
The PSL had its earliest official launch ever this year. With the autumnal drink hitting menus the Tuesday before Labor Day, it makes sense that Starbucks would add a chilled version to the menu.
Starbucks has been letting customers add pumpkin spice syrup to cold brew and iced coffees for years. Now that the chain seems to be committed to launching the PSL before Labor Day, it makes sense that the drink would get officially added to the menu.
Climate change is transforming the planet.
Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski
According to NASA data, 18 of the 19 warmest years in global history have occurred since 2001.
July 2019 was the hottest month in recorded history, according to data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The average temperature in Newark, New Jersey, the week of September 1 in 2011 was 73 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2018, the average temperature the week of September 1 was 81 degrees Fahrenheit.
A hotter end of summer and early fall makes a chilled version of the PSL even more compelling. So, the arrival of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew makes complete sense.
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Source: Business Insider – ktaylor@businessinsider.com (Kate Taylor)