Starbucks’ new Oleato coffee drinks.
Starbucks
Starbucks A controversial line of olive oil-infused drinks will leave U.S. stores in early November.
The decision to remove Oleato drinks from national menus predates Brian Niccol, the new CEO, who arrived at Starbucks in early September, a company spokesperson said. However, it aligns with Niccol’s strategy to simplify menus as part of a broader turnaround plan to “get back to Starbucks,” the spokesperson said.
Bloomberg was the first to break the news of the drinks leaving.
Starbucks is expected to report its fourth-quarter results after the bell on Wednesday. In a preliminary release of its results, the company said sales fell for the third consecutive quarter, as weak demand in the United States and China weighed on its performance.
Wall Street has high hopes for Niccol’s leadership, including ending the outsized influence of former CEO Howard Schultz, who pioneered the idea for the Oleato line.
The Oleato beverage line has infused Partanna olive oil into Starbucks’ Caffe Latte, Iced Shaken Espresso and Cold Foam. Baristas steamed olive oil with oat milk for the latte, shook it into the frozen espresso drink, and infused it into a sweetened vanilla cream foam to top the brews cold.
Schultz came up with the Oleato line after a trip to Italy, where he saw Sicilians drinking olive oil as a daily ritual. He, too, started drinking olive oil with his daily coffee and decided that Starbucks should try mixing the two. Before the reveal, he called the idea “alchemy” and a “game changer.”
Oleato means “with oil” in Italian, according to Starbucks.
Starbucks first launched the line in Italy, then brought it to stores in Southern California in spring 2023. A nationwide launch followed in January.
But it doesn’t seem like customers agree with Schultz’s high opinion of the drinks. The first reviews in the American press were largely negative, and some social media users complained that the drinks had a laxative effect.
Cafes in China, Italy and Japan will continue to serve Oleato drinks.