Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Arrives at All Starbucks Locations in Mainland China and Revolutionizes the Instant Coffee Experience
BEIJING (April 6, 2011) – Today, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) launches its breakthrough Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew in all China stores, expanding upon the company's coffee expertise and leadership. Starbucks VIA® is made from roasted arabica coffee in an instant and micro-ground form that is rich and full bodied just like a fresh-brewed cup of Starbucks® coffee.
"We believe Starbucks VIA® will change the way people drink coffee and where they enjoy it. It took 20 years for us to create a coffee that delivers Starbucks® coffee quality in an instant, and we're excited to make that available throughout mainland China," said Jinlong Wang, chairman of Starbucks China. "We know that as more people try this product, more people will like it and adopt it into their daily routine so they will never be without great coffee."
Breakthrough Instant Coffee
Made with the highest-quality coffee beans sourced from 3 percent of the world's top coffee, Starbucks VIA® can be made by adding hot (or cold) water which brews the coffee in an instant. Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew is pre-portioned into single-serve packets and packaged in packs of three or boxes of 12. It is available in both Starbucks® Italian Roast and Starbucks® Colombia. The retail price for mainland China is RMB 25 for a three pack and RMB 88 for a 12 pack.
Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew was already named "Most Innovative New Product of the Year" in the U.K. by Allegra Strategies, "Best New Consumer Product" by Progressive Grocermagazine in the U.S. and the No. 6 new hit product by Nikkei Business Magazinein Japan. These awards further establish Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew as a leader in the instant coffee market.
Starbucks VIA® Taste Challenge
Also, starting today through April 10, customers are invited to join the Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew Taste Challenge at their neighborhood Starbucks store. Participants can taste Colombia Starbucks VIA® next to fresh-brewed coffee and challenge themselves to guess which one was made in an instant.Â
My VIA® Moment
My Starbucks VIA® Moment is an online promotion that gives consumers the opportunity to experience the essence behind Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew – consumers can enjoy Starbucks coffee anytime and anywhere.
From April 12 to May 23, customers can sign in to the My Starbucks VIA® Moment website on www.starbucks.com.cn or Jiepang.com and upload photos of their VIA® moment. Participants will have the chance to win round-trip airline tickets to Seattle, Washington, the hometown of Starbucks, provided by Delta Airlines (departure cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou).