Starbucks has always presented itself as a coffee shop, but an interesting phenomenon is this: the pace at which it launches new coffee drinks is far slower than the pace at which it launches new cups. A cup of coffee costing thirty or forty yuan gives some consumers pause, yet people snap up Starbucks cups priced at one or two hundred, or even four or five hundred yuan, without hesitation. Every year, dozens of themed limited-edition cups and collaborative designs take the stage in turn, and the revenue from selling cups may already surpass that from coffee itself. From the 2019 cat-paw cup that sparked overnight queues and sold out in 0.07 seconds, to young people relying on swapping cups to stay motivated to drink water, Starbucks' performance in the drinkware arena is nothing short of phenomenal. At the same time, Starbucks China launches only about 30 new coffee drinks a year, while Luckin rolled out 113 beverages in 2021 alone. This article shows you the true nature of Starbucks as a "cup factory," and also touches on Front Street Coffee's commitment to beans and products. [more…]

Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz recently revealed in an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal that he has developed a travel timetable with new CEO Narasimhan, and the two plan to visit China together once the country relaxes its pandemic control measures. Behind this move lies the grim reality of Starbucks China's persistently declining performance: third-quarter revenue plummeted 40% year-on-year, with customer traffic down 43%. Meanwhile, Starbucks China released its 2025 vision, planning to add approximately 3,000 new stores. Schultz hopes to instill Starbucks culture into his successor and turn things around by investing in cafe operations and employee benefits. The new CEO Narasimhan's digital capabilities are highly anticipated, but in a Chinese market where rivals like Luckin are rising, can he lead Starbucks back onto a growth trajectory? [more…]

On September 14, Starbucks China officially announced its 2025 China Strategic Vision, planning to comprehensively accelerate development over the next three years with the help of six major growth engines. The blueprint covers multiple dimensions, including store network expansion, promotion of the green store certification system, digital membership upgrades, localized new product development, and employee salary increases. According to the plan, by 2025 Starbucks China's total number of stores will climb to 9,000, its workforce will grow to 95,000, and doubling targets have been set for both net revenue and operating profit. At the same time, the Starbucks Coffee Innovation Park will also begin production in the summer of 2023, completing the localization layout of the entire industry chain. In the face of fierce competition from local brands such as Luckin, whether this strategy can help Starbucks consolidate its market position is worth continued attention. [more…]

As summer 2023 approaches, Starbucks China has rolled out a dense lineup of new products, spanning iced shaken espressos, fruity sparkling cold brews, and the raw coffee series that contains no coffee yet does contain caffeine. This article provides a complete rundown of these new items' prices, sizes, and flavor characteristics, while also compiling the menus and pricing from medium to large for classic series such as handcrafted espresso, Frappuccino, Teavana, and cold brew, making it easy for coffee lovers to look things up quickly. For readers who prefer brewing at home, they can also refer to Front Street Coffee's bean recommendations to recreate similar flavors themselves. [more…]

As Halloween approaches at the end of October each year, major coffee brands rush to launch their limited-edition festive specials. This year, Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Costa, and other brands have all rolled out new offerings. The visual designs are certainly eye-catching, but the flavors have left many consumers crying "dark." From dragon fruit cloud-topped lids to bamboo charcoal black sauce Frappuccinos, from sesame almond tofu to Pirate's Treasure Lattes—how do these Halloween special drinks actually perform? Netizens' reviews are mixed: some are sold on the aesthetics, while others are put off by the taste. This article will review the highlights and sore points of these festive new releases to see which one is truly worth a try. [more…]

On the eve of National Day, Starbucks China posted a vividly colored beverage poster on Xiaohongshu with the caption "Waiting for good news," which happened to closely resemble the color scheme of Taylor Swift's new album teaser poster. This coincidence quickly ignited the expectations of Swifties, with many speculating that the two sides would collaborate again. However, after the stores launched two customized drinks as scheduled on October 3, staff said there was no collaboration, leaving fans greatly disappointed. What exactly caused this misunderstanding? And what history of cooperation has there been between Starbucks and Taylor Swift? This article will recount the whole incident and discuss the polarized views fans have on the matter. [more…]

As Qixi Festival approaches, Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Converse have once again joined forces to launch a collaboration series inspired by the Milky Way and the stars Altair and Vega, available at the Tokyo Roastery starting June 24. The most eye-catching item this season is a vase shaped like Converse's classic shoe, in a refreshing ice-blue colorway, alongside six other celestial-themed items including mugs, folding fans, and bags. Looking back at last year's Qixi Festival, the two brands created shoe-shaped vases and home goods themed around fireworks and misty blue. In addition, Starbucks' multiple collaborations with Hiroshi Fujiwara have focused on a minimalist home coffee experience for the post-pandemic era, launching textured items such as French presses and blankets. This article walks you through these collaboration highlights, with Front Street Coffee's communication channels listed at the end. [more…]

Starbucks' Star Delivery Time-Space series recently launched 4 new products, two of which are milk teas without coffee that have sparked heated discussion. Some speculate this is a signal that Starbucks is entering the milk tea scene after being provoked by Luckin. The new products use a combination of syrup, freshly brewed tea, and milk, with the tea bag placed directly into the drink, allowing customers to add water themselves to extend the flavor. This approach continues the design concept of last year's Time-Space series and has gained recognition from some consumers, but others complain that the tea bag is troublesome to handle and that the flavor is not fully released in cold drinks. The 36-yuan price tag is still considered high by milk tea enthusiasts, making value for money the focus of controversy. Starbucks previously tested pearl milk tea in North America with lackluster results; this time the domestic new products are highly localized, but whether they can break through in the fiercely competitive tea beverage market remains unknown. [more…]

On September 13, Starbucks interim CEO Howard officially unveiled the company's reinvention plan at an investor briefing, announcing a series of initiatives to enhance the customer and barista experience through improved employee benefits, reimagining the third place, innovating beverage production processes, simplifying operations, and expanding digital services, with the goal of achieving a business turnaround by 2024. Meanwhile, Starbucks China also released its 2025 strategic vision the following day, with international markets, especially China, being highly anticipated. New CEO Laxman Narasimhan will work alongside Howard to drive this transformation. [more…]

As the Spring Festival approaches, Starbucks has launched three Chinese New Year limited-edition drinks: Kumquat Cloud Macchiato, Kumquat Tieguanyin Tea Latte, and Kumquat Flavored Americano, aiming to attract customers with the auspicious meaning of "great fortune and prosperity." However, after the products hit the market, the Kumquat Americano quickly became the focus of complaints on social media, with many consumers reporting that its taste resembles cough syrup or Chinese herbal medicine, far from the expected citrusy sweetness. This article will review the real feedback on this new product and analyze the challenges Starbucks faces in its localization innovations. [more…]

As the "cup giant" of the coffee world, Starbucks launches so many new cups every year that many people joke its pace of new releases is faster than its main business of coffee. Recently, however, a netizen exposed that while waiting for coffee in a store, they knocked over two cups in one go: one stainless steel travel tumbler was dented, and the other glass cup shattered completely, ultimately forcing them to buy them at the employee discount price. The incident quickly sparked heated discussion: with fragile cups displayed on low shelves close to the aisle, was it the customer's carelessness, or is there a suspicion of a store design "trap"? Starbucks locations at home and abroad also handle broken cups very differently. Some people are asked with concern whether they were cut, while others can only pay the full price. Who exactly should be responsible for these accidents? [more…]

Starbucks China recently launched its first brand-customized short drama on Douyin, titled "I Opened a Starbucks in Ancient Times," telling the adventure story of a barista who travels back to ancient times to open a "Starbucks inn." The series consists of 6 episodes, with one episode updated daily, sparking heated discussion among netizens who find it "cringeworthy yet addictive." In recent years, short dramas have risen rapidly thanks to their concise format and fast pace, becoming a new frontier for brand marketing. Tea beverage brands such as ChaPanda and Mixuebingcheng have also dabbled in producing their own short dramas, weaving products and brand concepts into the storyline. However, naturally incorporating advertising into fast-paced narratives without annoying viewers remains a major challenge for brands. Whether Starbucks can tell its brand story well through short dramas this time remains to be tested by the market. [more…]

Starbucks recently released its financial report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, the first quarterly scorecard since Howard Schultz returned to the CEO role. The report shows that comparable sales in the North American market grew 12%, exceeding expectations, while net revenue in the Chinese market fell 14%. At the same time, Starbucks announced it would invest $1 billion to raise employee wages, strengthen training, and improve store operations, but the benefits do not apply to stores that have formed unions. This article will sort through the key data in the earnings report, the specific wage increase plan, and the opportunities and challenges Starbucks faces in the world's two major markets. [more…]

Starbucks has consistently won consumer favor with its beverage and merchandise designs, but a new cream pie recently launched by Starbucks Japan unexpectedly sparked controversy online. This dessert, featuring a cocoa crust wrapped around blueberry cream and garnished with strawberry-powder pearl chocolate, trended on Twitter because netizens pointed out its appearance closely resembles apple snail eggs or the Ohmu from "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." Despite the appearance triggering trypophobia-style complaints, some adventurous tasters said it actually tastes good. This article reviews the official introduction of this new product, netizen reactions, and several past aesthetic missteps in Starbucks history. At the end, professional coffee knowledge exchange channels and Front Street Coffee recommendations are included. [more…]

On September 9th, Brian Niccol officially took over as CEO of Starbucks. Facing two consecutive quarters of performance pressure and fierce competition from local brands like Luckin in the Chinese market, he released his first open letter, "Back to Basics," the day after taking office. In the letter, Niccol admitted that Starbucks had strayed from its core, promised to reshape its positioning as a community coffeehouse, and focus on four key areas: baristas, production efficiency, store experience, and more. He also specifically mentioned that the Chinese market is vibrant and requires tapping into its growth potential. Can this "firefighter," who once led Chipotle out of crisis, help Starbucks rediscover its original purpose? Front Street Coffee is following this story with you. [more…]

As Halloween approaches, Starbucks has finally unveiled its limited-edition drink for the Chinese market this year—the "Dark Pumpkin Frappuccino" will land in stores nationwide on October 22. The entire drink is pitch black, jokingly dubbed by netizens as the literal embodiment of "dark cuisine." Where exactly does the black color of this drink come from? Does it taste as "dark" as it looks? Will your mouth turn black after drinking it? This article combines employee hands-on tests and consumer feedback from social platforms to answer these questions one by one. In addition, the article also mentions the "Concrete Frappuccino" previously launched in Hong Kong and Macau stores, as well as the overly sweet controversy surrounding the same product in the Japanese market last year, and includes relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

At the Shanghai Road Life Festival, Starbucks launched three limited-time regional-flavor drinks. Among them, the "Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino" went viral after its name was misread as "Mars Persimmon," and it also sparked doubts among netizens about whether persimmons and milk can be consumed together. This article sorts through the new product launch information and netizen feedback, and invites experts to explain the dietary taboos of pairing persimmons with milk, revealing that the milk ingredient used by Starbucks is actually oat milk, while also retaining Front Street brand recommendations to help you enjoy the autumn flavors with peace of mind. [more…]

Starbucks hosted a high-profile exclusive dinner at its Shanghai Roastery, with founder Schultz personally taking the stage to promote the Oleato olive oil coffee series. However, this lavish promotional push failed to generate the expected splash among consumers. Meanwhile, Luckin's newly launched Huangshan Maofeng Latte also suffered a reputational flop. Behind the密集 new product launches from chain coffee brands, is it a lack of innovation or consumer fatigue? This article will take an in-depth look at the recent market performance of new coffee products and explore how brands can find the right R&D direction amid fierce competition. [more…]

At the start of the new year, Starbucks announced a collaboration with Shanghai Animation Film Studio's classic animation "Havoc in Heaven," launching peach-flavored coffee drinks inspired by the "Peach Banquet." This news evoked childhood memories for many netizens, but some consumers were not impressed with the collaboration—because based on the available information, the campaign seemed to offer only limited-edition drinks, lacking themed packaging and merchandise. Compared to other brands that frequently release collaborative cup sleeves, tote bags, and other items, Starbucks' sincerity in this collaboration has been questioned, with some netizens pointing out that the limited-edition drinks are actually a hidden menu item that can be enjoyed in advance through customization services. Whether this collaboration can meet the expectations of "Havoc in Heaven" fans remains to be seen. [more…]

Starbucks Frappuccino has once again launched seasonal limited-edition new products—Mango Double Star Frappuccino and Raspberry Strawberry Frappuccino. Both drinks use a coconut-flavored concentrated base, involving five pre-made fruit beverage ingredients in total, and the production process is relatively cumbersome. Combined with the buy-one-get-one-free promotion on the啡快 mini-program, the new products quickly sparked a tasting frenzy, but also left baristas under the pressure of a flood of orders exclaiming that it was "like filling prescriptions in a pharmacy." This article will take you through the ingredient composition of these two new products, the difficulty of making them, and the real feedback from employees and consumers, while also reviewing Starbucks' pace of new releases so far this year. [more…]