Starbucks is going to withdraw the sale of its Oleato line of olive oil-infused coffees from US and Canadian stores from early November. The company did this following its appointment of Brian Niccol as the new chief executive officer, who plans to reduce the menu offerings in a bid to help sales bounce back, after dropping 7% in July to September compared with the same period last year.
For example, the Oleato drinks have just hit North America. The beverages that consist of an iced shaken espresso and a latte prepared with olive oil and oat milk launched last year in Italy. According to the founder of Starbucks Howard Schultz, the inspiration for the products was born in Sicily where he learned how to ingest olive oil every day as part of the Mediterranean tradition.
However, though this was a really novel concept, the range has not been very successful on the consumer front and mixed reactions have been experienced across different stomach discomfort cases that it has been subjected to besides others. The drink may be withdrawn from the market in North America but its sale will still go on in some parts of Italy, Japan, and China.
It was an elimination of Oleato drinks under the streamlining approach due to Niccol’s menu simplification to assist Starbucks out of its operational and cost-of-living crisis.