What is caffe Oleato and why is Starbucks removing it?

Starbucks will permanently remove the Oleato olive oil coffee line from its core menu in the United States and Canada on November 7, less than a year after launch. The line, which added a spoonful of Partanna extra virgin olive oil to hot and cold drinks, drew complaints of gastrointestinal discomfort. Starbucks China said the change does not affect its market for now.

Oleato began with founder Howard Schultz, inspired by a Sicily trip and the local habit of taking a daily spoonful of olive oil. It debuted in Milan in 2023 and reached mainland China in March 2024, covering an Oleato Latte, Iced Shaken Espresso and Cold Brew. CEO Brian Niccol has described the store menu as too complex, and the removal fits that simplification push.

Starbucks has announced that it will permanently remove the Oleato olive oil coffee line from its core menu in North America starting November 7, less than a year after the product first debuted. This decision is seen as one of new CEO Brian Niccol's moves to simplify the menu and return to the coffeehouse's roots. Oleato was initiated by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, inspired by Sicilian culinary traditions. It first launched in Milan, Italy in 2023 and gradually expanded to multiple global markets, entering mainland China in March 2024. However, the line has been widely criticized for causing gastrointestinal discomfort after consumption. Starbucks China responded that this adjustment only involves the North American market and has no impact on the Chinese market for now.

Recently, according to foreign media reports, global coffee chain giant Starbucks plans to permanently remove the "Oleato" line of beverages from its core menu on November 7. This means that this highly controversial olive oil coffee will face discontinuation less than a year after its debut.

People familiar with the matter said that starting in November, Starbucks will remove the "Oleato" line from menus in the U.S. and Canadian markets, as part of the chain's plan to streamline its menu. Starbucks' new CEO Brian Niccol recently said the store menu is "too complex."

The "Oleato" line is an olive oil coffee product launched by Starbucks in Italy in 2023. The name Oleato is said to combine the Latin word for "olive" with Italian phonetic characteristics, symbolizing the clever combination of olive oil and coffee. Its Chinese translation is "意榄朵."

The line includes three items: Oleato Latte, Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso, and Oleato Cold Brew. Its biggest selling point is the addition of a spoonful of Partanna extra virgin olive oil to both hot and cold coffee. However, Starbucks is not the first company to launch olive oil coffee. In 2022, Golden Brown Coffee had already developed a plant-based milk olive oil coffee beverage.

It is worth noting that the idea for the Oleato line came from Starbucks founder Howard Schultz. It is said that during a trip to Sicily, after meeting with a local olive oil producer, he came up with the idea of combining olive oil with coffee.

At the time, the producer introduced Howard Schultz to the local custom of consuming a tablespoon of olive oil daily. Howard Schultz is said to have later adopted this habit himself and began to wonder whether it could be combined with daily coffee consumption, after which he had Starbucks' R&D team develop the Oleato line of beverages.

The Oleato line first debuted in Milan, Italy in February 2023, and was subsequently launched in markets including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. In March 2024, this olive oil coffee line officially entered the mainland Chinese market.

At that time, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz also made a special trip to Shanghai to share his story with Oleato with Chinese customers and partners.

However, after launching globally, this disruptive coffee line from Starbucks encountered a large amount of negative feedback, with consumers in various places giving highly consistent reasons for their poor reviews—many complained of gastrointestinal discomfort after drinking the olive coffee, with effects comparable to a laxative. In short, trying the Oleato line means being mentally prepared for frequent trips to the bathroom afterward.

In response, some netizens analyzed that caffeine stimulates the intestines, promotes gastric acid secretion, and speeds up gastrointestinal motility, while oil has a relaxing effect. Starbucks creatively mixed these two ingredients together, which is like adding fuel to the fire and can be called a powerful laxative.

On September 10 this year, Starbucks' new board chairman and CEO Brian Niccol promised in his first open letter after taking office that he would return to Starbucks' roots and re-establish the brand's positioning as a community coffeehouse. Some analysts believe that removing this controversial beverage may also reflect his determination to return to the original aspiration.

Regarding the news that Starbucks will remove Oleato from the North American market, a media reporter contacted Starbucks China. Starbucks China responded that the above adjustment involves the North American market and will not currently affect the Chinese market.

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.