An unexpected alchemy of Starbucks® finest arabica coffee infused with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil offers a velvety smooth, deliciously lush new coffee experience

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Unveiled at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Milan and Starbucks Italy stores, Oleato to launch in select markets worldwide over the coming year

MILAN — Starbucks today unveiled a transformational innovation in coffee, Oleato – a line of coffee beverages that brings together the unexpected – Starbucks arabica coffee deliciously infused with a spoonful of Partanna cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. The result is velvety smooth, delicately sweet and lush coffee that uplifts each cup with an extraordinary new flavor and texture. The new beverage platform which launches in Starbucks stores in Italy on Feb. 22, includes: Oleato™ Caffè Latte, Oleato™ Iced Shaken Espresso and Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan will also debut five beverages to customers on Feb. 22: Oleato™ Caffè Latte, Oleato™ Iced Cortado, Oleato™ Golden Foam™&nbsp;Cold Brew, Oleato™ Deconstructed and Oleato™ Golden&nbsp;Foam™&nbsp;Espresso Martini. Starbucks will begin to introduce the beverages in select markets around the world, starting with Southern California in the United States this spring. Later this year, Japan,&nbsp;the Middle East and the United Kingdom will launch the beverages. &nbsp;

“During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the sense of community, connection, and passion for coffee I found in the city’s espresso bars. It was that trip that inspired me to bring the ritual of handcrafted espresso to Starbucks and to America. Oleato represents the next revolution in coffee that brings together an alchemy of nature’s finest ingredients – Starbucks arabica coffee beans and Partanna cold pressed extra virgin olive oil,” said Howard Schultz, Starbucks interim chief executive officer. “Today I feel just as inspired as I did 40 years ago, Oleato has opened our eyes to fresh new possibilities and a transformational way to enjoy our daily coffee,” said Schultz.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks continuous search for inspiration revealed a family tradition that has existed in regions of Italy for generations – enjoying a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil each day as an uplifting ritual. This led Starbucks to Partanna, an Italian extra virgin olive oil brand with more than 100 years of tradition and dedication to farming and crafting premium extra virgin olive oil.&nbsp;

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Partanna created a highly curated blend of extra virgin olive oil from the finest Mediterranean olives, including the high-quality Nocellara del Belice (also called Castelvetrano) olives from Partanna, Sicily. The blend was thoughtfully selected to pair perfectly with Starbucks coffee, which is then skillfully infused in the beverage to unlock a smooth and delicious experience like no other.&nbsp;

Starbucks Oleato beverages that will be served in Starbucks stores around the world:&nbsp;&nbsp;

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In select markets, customers will also be able to add a press – the equivalent to a spoonful – of Partanna extra virgin olive oil as a customization to select beverages. The press will then be infused (steamed, shaken or blended) as a customization into select drinks such as espresso beverages and tea lattes. Golden Foam™ will also be available as a customization, which can be added as a delicious topping on both hot and cold beverages.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Designed to pair perfectly with the exquisite Starbucks Reserve coffee, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan today debuted four Starbucks Reserve Oleato beverages:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“When creating the beverages, we were inspired by the rich history and origin stories of coffee and olive oil – two of nature’s most transcendent ingredients,” said Amy Dilger, principal beverage developer for Starbucks. “Infusing Starbucks coffee with olive oil yielded a velvety smooth, rich texture, with the buttery, round flavors imparted by the olive oil perfectly pairing with the soft, chocolatey notes of the coffee.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“One thing that’s special about Partanna’s olives is their uniquely nutty, slightly sweet flavors – think of that rich smoothness of a buttery caramel, it’s a natural complement to our coffee,” said Dilger. “Whether you enjoy Oleato hot or cold, you get this really luxurious, textural experience.”&nbsp;

Read more about the inspiration and creation of these beverages <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2023/the-story-behind-starbucks-new-coffee-ritual-oleato-olive-oil/">here</a>.&nbsp;

Raising the Bar on Coffee Innovation&nbsp;&nbsp;

Italy’s romance with coffee, food and connection has served as an inspiration for the Starbucks Experience since the company’s earliest days, influencing its coffee, food and store designs, as well as its reverence for artistry.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The art of coffee craft, curation and creation remains core to Starbucks. Our aspiration to continue to be the world's leader in premium coffee – in both the art and the science – is as strong today as it was more than 50 years ago when Starbucks first opened its doors,” said Schultz. “Embracing our heritage, we remain dedicated to exceeding our customers’ expectations by bringing innovative experiences to savor.”&nbsp;

From the first Starbucks Caffè Latte served in 1984, to Pumpkin Spice Latte, Nitro Cold Brew, and the more recent Iced Shaken Espresso beverages, Starbucks continues to bring its customers innovative beverages at scale.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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About Starbucks&nbsp;&nbsp;

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with nearly 36,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stories.starbucks.com</a> or <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">starbucks.com</a>.&nbsp;

Barista in brown apron with "Oleato" hands off a Starbucks Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew

Starbucks unveils a transformational innovation in coffee, Oleato – a line of coffee beverages that brings together the unexpected – Starbucks arabica coffee deliciously infused with extra virgin olive oil.

Introducing Starbucks Oleato – a Revolutionary New Coffee Ritual

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Starbucks today unveiled a transformational innovation in coffee, Oleato – a line of coffee beverages that brings together the unexpected – Starbucks arabica coffee deliciously infused with extra virgin olive oil.

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Italy has always been a special place for Starbucks. It was four decades ago that Howard Schultz first walked the cobblestone streets of Milan, Italy and <a href="https://archive.starbucks.com/record/inspiration-in-italy">experienced the romance of its espresso bars</a>. That visit spurred him to bring the Italian coffeehouse experience to Starbucks and to America, which would grow from just 11 stores to more than 36,000, serving millions of handcrafted beverages each day around the world.

Now Schultz and Starbucks have found inspiration in Italy again, this time in the sun-kissed olive groves of Sicily with the introduction of a new line of beverages, Oleato, Starbucks coffee infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil. The new beverages are making their debut tomorrow (Feb. 22) at the <a href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/milano">Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan</a> and in Starbucks stores in Italy, followed by Southern California in the United States this spring.&nbsp; Later this year select markets in Japan, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom will launch the beverages. The five Oleato™ beverages served at the Milan Roastery are Oleato™ Caffé Latte, Oleato™ Iced Cortado, Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew, Oleato™ Deconstructed and Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Espresso Martini. Starbucks stores in Italy will offer Oleato™ Caffè Latte, Oleato™ Iced Shaken Espresso and Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew.&nbsp;

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Schultz, currently in Milan for the launch of Oleato, noted how his journey with Starbucks has come full circle with the two milestone moments, one toward the beginning of his career at Starbucks and the other as he is about to step down next month after serving for the last 10 months as Starbucks interim chief executive officer. &nbsp;

“In 1983, I took my first trip to Italy and discovered the extraordinary relationship that the Italian people have with the Italian coffee bar, and specifically espresso. I raced back to the United States with a vision and a passion to bring that to Starbucks,” Schultz said.

Last year, Schultz was traveling in Sicily when he discovered something equally dynamic and interesting. After being introduced to the Mediterranean custom of taking a spoonful of olive oil each day, he soon began enjoying a spoonful of Partanna extra virgin olive oil as part of his daily ritual in addition to his morning coffee, and soon he had the idea of trying the two together. What he discovered was a delicious and unexpected alchemy of Starbucks coffee beverages infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil.

“I was absolutely stunned at the unique flavor and texture created when the Partanna extra virgin olive oil was infused into Starbucks coffee,” Schultz said. “In both hot and cold coffee beverages, what it produced was an unexpected, velvety, buttery flavor that enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate.”

Making beverage history

Excited by the potential, Schultz brought the discovery back to Seattle and the Starbucks beverage development team. From there, Amy Dilger, principal Starbucks beverage developer, took on the task of creating beverages for Starbucks customers. Dilger was uniquely qualified for the challenge, having spent a decade in Europe as a patisserie chef and then more than 20 years on the Starbucks food and beverage team, creating customer favorites like <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2014/starbucks-chestnut-praline-latte/">Chestnut Praline Latte</a> and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2016/starbucks-roastery-inspired-beverages/">Smoked Butterscotch Latte</a>.

Her first step was learning about olives and their deep connection to Italian culture. Of the hundreds of varieties, Partanna’s blend of extra virgin olive oil created for Starbucks includes one of the most coveted – Nocellara del Belice olives (also called Castelvetrano), which are known for their vibrant and buttery flavor. Dilger spoke with the family farmers behind Partanna extra virgin olive oil, who have nurtured these ancient olive trees in their rich Sicilian soil for four generations. She learned how the olives are picked and cold-pressed within hours to preserve their extraordinary flavor.

“As I learned about Partanna extra virgin olive oil, I kept seeing things that reminded me of Starbucks coffee, specifically how the terroir, the origin, and the varietals contribute to the unique flavor and texture,” Dilger said. Although she had never tried combining extra virgin olive oil and coffee before, she thought of other dishes that highlight olive oil, like Greek yogurt with a drizzle of olive oil, olive oil and sea salt ice cream – and of course, olive oil cake.

“One thing that’s special about the Castelvetrano olives is that they are sweet and really buttery,” Dilger said. “I think of all the buttery caramels that we mix with our coffee. That buttery smooth richness combines so well with our coffee.”

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‘A luxurious, textural experience’

Next, she started experimenting in her beverage development kitchen, infusing the Partanna extra virgin olive oil with some of her favorite coffee beverages to create an experience that was revelatory and entirely new.

“The infusion is really important. When you infuse Partanna extra virgin olive oil by steaming or shaking it with oatmilk, it creates this luxurious, textural experience that’s similar to whole milk,” said Dilger. To find the coffee that would pair perfectly with the extra virgin olive oil, she experimented with a variety of Starbucks high-quality arabica blends and chose not one, but two Starbucks espressos. For the lineup in Starbucks stores, Dilger found the Partanna extra virgin olive oil infusions paired beautifully with Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, which has smooth well-rounded flavors that are delicious both hot and iced. For the Starbucks Reserve Roastery beverages, she used Starbucks Reserve Espresso, and added an iced cortado beverage with a hint of orange. And for the name, the team settled on Oleato, inspired by the Latin word for “olive” and an Italian word that nods to the process of infusing the olive oil with coffee.

Fittingly, customers in Italy will be the first to try to the new Oleato beverages starting tomorrow at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan and in Starbucks Italy stores.

Schultz said, “Now, there's going to be people who say, ‘Olive oil in coffee? But the proof is in the cup. In over 40 years, I can't remember a moment in time where I've been more excited, more enthused that demonstrates the pride, the quality, the passion, the heritage and the craft of what Starbucks can do.”

Starbucks stores in Italy will offer three Oleato beverages:

The Oleato Caffè Latte is simple and elegant, made with Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast and Partanna extra virgin olive oil steamed with oatmilk to create the most luscious of lattes.

Oleato™ Iced Shaken Espresso

Sicily’s farmer’s markets are filled with an abundance of locally grown almonds, pistachios, walnuts and chestnuts – this was the inspiration for the nut flavor in the Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso. The beverage features layers of subtly sweet Starbucks Blonde Roast Espresso, hazelnut syrup and oatmilk shaken with Partanna extra virgin olive oil and ice.

Creamy cold foam has become a favorite finishing touch for Starbucks cold beverages since 2018 – from the classic Salted Caramel to the new Pistachio Cream Cold Foam. The Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew is capped with a layer of Golden Foam, a silky infusion of Partanna extra virgin olive oil with vanilla sweet cream foam, which slowly cascades through the beverage to create a smooth, yet rich, texture.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan will serve its own portfolio of Starbucks Oleato beverages, made with exquisite Starbucks Reserve® coffee:&nbsp;

Oleato™ Caffè Latte: Starbucks Reserve Espresso and creamy oatmilk infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil, creating a velvety, luscious latte.

Oleato™ Iced Cortado: Starbucks Reserve Espresso, demerara syrup, a dash of orange bitters and oatmilk is infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil, served over ice and finished with an orange peel.&nbsp;

Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew: Starbucks Reserve Cold Brew is lightly sweetened with vanilla syrup and finished with Partanna extra virgin olive oil infused cold foam, creating an inviting aroma and subtle sweetness.&nbsp;

Oleato™ Deconstructed: An ode to the Italian tradition of combining olive oil with a squeeze of lemon. This beverage pairs Starbucks Reserve Espresso and Partanna extra virgin&nbsp;olive oil infused with a luxurious passionfruit cold foam.

Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Espresso Martini: Starbucks Reserve Espresso, vodka and vanilla bean syrup topped with golden foam – a fusion of fior di latte (sweet cream) and Partanna extra virgin olive oil. &nbsp;

Starbucks Oleato Reserve beverages lineup on wooden bar, with small can of Partanna extra virgin olive oil

Introducing Oleato™, the story behind a new line of Starbucks® coffee beverages infused with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil making their debut at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Milan and Starbucks Italy stores.

Coffee meets olive oil: The story behind Starbucks new coffee ritual—Starbucks Oleato coffee beverages 

Coffee meets olive oil: The story behind Starbucks new coffee ritual – Starbucks Oleato coffee beverages 

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There are seasons in life when we find ourselves transforming and growing in ways we never imagined possible.

The last time I felt on the precipice of such incredible transformation was the winter of 1983. I was on my way back to Seattle after countless hours walking the streets of Milan and immersing into the world of Italian-style espresso. I experienced a coffeehouse culture rich with the spirit of connection and community, and I was overflowing with inspiration to bring it to the United States. This dream transformed my image of what Starbucks could mean to people and transformed our brand into a global movement to inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Transformation was Starbucks catalyst for growth, both for our business and for our purpose as a company. And our embrace of this growth mindset means that our quest for transformative inspiration is never ending—we must always be searching for new ideas, or old ideas that can be transformed into something exceptional.

This summer, I was once again captivated by a transformational idea while traveling through Italy. I came across a time-honored tradition that transformed my coffee experience and improved my life. It was wholly unexpected, yet the possibilities filled me with excitement.

Today, we reassert our enduring aspiration to deliver coffee innovation to customers around the world, by bringing together two time-honored Italian traditions to create a new coffee ritual—a unique alchemy of two of nature's most transcendent ingredients: coffee and olive oil.

As with anything we have ever done, the proof is in the cup. When you take your first sip of one of our innovative new Starbucks OleatoTM beverages, you will taste a unique blend of artistry, craft, premium quality ingredients and bold innovation that create a truly extraordinary experience. This is much bigger than any beverage—it demonstrates the creativity and bold vision that makes Starbucks a global leader in coffee innovation.

Many have underestimated us before, and they’ve been wrong. I am full of optimism that when we follow our intuition and dedicate ourselves to the art and elegance of coffee, embrace our passion for the experience and support our green apron partners to provide the highest level of care to customers, we will exceed expectations every time.

In fact, Italians have embraced Starbucks in a way that many did not see coming. In Starbucks stores across Italy, our top selling beverage is the solo espresso – a validation of the quality of the coffee that has defined Starbucks since its founding in 1971. &nbsp;

With this alchemy of unexpected ingredients, we return to the spirit of entrepreneurship that has differentiated Starbucks for more than 50 years. I truly believe that our enduring drive to constantly exceed the expectations of our partners and customers is the key to our future.

As I prepare to pass the mantle of leadership to Laxman and the rest of the Executive Leadership Team, it’s my deepest wish to share this moment of inspiration and love with you. This innovation is a tribute to the convening power of coffee and connection, and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives us forward to new possibilities.

No matter where our next season of life may take us, I remain ever your partner.

Howard Schultz introduces Starbucks Oleato™, a unique alchemy of two of nature's most transcendent ingredients: coffee and olive oil.

Message from Howard Schultz: Introducing Starbucks Oleato™ - Starbucks Stories Message from Howard Schultz: Introducing Starbucks Oleato™

Message from Howard Schultz: Introducing Starbucks Oleato™

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