Starbucks set to debut a new drink — packed with protein: ‘This thing is going to be a rocket'
If you've been on the internet in recent months, you've probably seen an increase in interest in protein-heavy food and drinks.
Now, Starbucks is testing a new way to instantly add a whopping 15 grams of protein to nearly any beverage.
The coffee giant is testing a protein cold foam at five locations in the US through its Starting Five program. It's part of CEO Brian Niccol's hopes to expand into the wellness category, the company announced during the Starbucks Leadership Experience in Las Vegas.
3 Starbucks is testing a protein cold foam at five locations in the US through its Starting Five program.
Starbucks
'This thing is going to be a rocket,' Niccol said on stage in Las Vegas. 'It's on trend. It's delicious.'
Niccol explained to Axios that the new innovation is geared toward a number of consumer groups, such as 20-year-old males, 50-year-old females and people taking GLP-1s.
'I was watching people coming to our stores, they would get three shots of espresso over ice,' Niccol explained. 'And in some cases, they pull their own protein powder out of their bag, or in other cases, they have a protein drink, like a Fair Life, and they'd pour that into their drink.'
'I'm like, well, wait a second, we can make this experience better for them,' he added.
There's currently a huge push for protein with Gen Z, with different recipes and trends such as the '100 grams of protein daily' challenge going viral on TikTok.
And with the continuous rise of GLP-1 drugs, research has shown that a high-protein diet is vital to maintaining muscle with the appetite-suppressing injectable treatments.
3 Starbucks shared that their protein powder should be able to be added to any of its cold foam flavors.
Starbucks
'The good news is now I think we're right on trend, and we can do it, I think, arguably better than anybody else,' Niccol said.
According to Fast Company, the protein cold foam will be identical to the cold foam Starbucks customers know and love — but it will be packed with somewhere between 15 and 18 grams of protein.
The world's largest coffee chain reportedly initially imagined that the protein blend would simply mix into drinks, but it kept getting clumpy — something that protein powder consumers may know a thing or two about — and they wanted to solve that problem.
3 The protein cold foam will reportedly be packed with somewhere between 15 and 18 grams of protein.
Dontree – stock.adobe.com
The development team found that blending the powder into foam got rid of the clumps, which led to the protein cold foam innovation.
Starbucks shared that their protein powder should be able to be added to any of its cold foam flavors, but the current testing version is a banana cold foam, FoodSided reported. They're starting the testing with Starbucks' Iced Caffe Latte.
While it's being tested in just five locations at the moment, Niccol told Axios he thinks the nationwide release of the protein cold foam will be sooner rather than later.
'It's not one of those things that's years away. It's months away,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Starbucks To Change How Long It Takes To Make Your Drink
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Starbucks has set a new goal for how long it should take for drinks to be made, seeking to have ordered beverages in customers' hands in four minutes. Why It Matters Starbucks is the largest coffee chain in the world and has stores on every continent barring Antarctica. There are more than 40,000 Starbucks stores worldwide, according to Statista. Despite its ubiquity, the chain has faced struggles on various fronts since the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of worker strikes. After a difficult 2024, the brand decided to close several locations in the United States. In February, the company announced a restructuring initiative that included the elimination of 1,100 corporate roles. In July, Starbucks reported its sixth straight quarterly drop in U.S. same-store sales. The Starbucks logo is displayed outside one of its coffee shops in San Diego on August 2. The Starbucks logo is displayed outside one of its coffee shops in San Diego on August To Know Led by CEO Brian Niccol, the coffee chain seeks to speed up service under a new operating model called "Green Apron Service." The model outlines a goal for baristas, saying no custom order should take longer than four minutes to make. In response to a request for comment, Starbucks directed Newsweek to a news release that said in part, "In just eight weeks of piloting Green Apron Service in 1,500 stores, we've seen faster service, stronger customer connections, and more engaged partners. This isn't just a new way of working—it's a return to what makes Starbucks special: human connection." Niccol took the reins of the coffee chain in September and has since been trying to revamp the company. He was previously the CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. and has held key positions at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. In a September news release, Niccol said: "Today, I'm making a commitment: We're getting back to Starbucks. We're refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart—a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from here." The chain has since introduced a new dress code, reduced the menu in the hope of improving customer service, and issued new orders for corporate staff—including ordering remote staff to relocate to Seattle or Toronto and instructing corporate employees to be in the office a minimum of four days a week. What People Are Saying A Starbucks news release about the initiative said: "It's all about making every visit feel personal, whether it's a friendly smile, remembering your name, or making your day just a little bit better. We're giving our partners the time, tools, and support to hone their craft and connect with customers." What Happens Next The Green Apron Service initiative has been rolled out across stores this week and is set to be implemented at all Starbucks locations.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Secret White House spreadsheet ranks US companies based on loyalty to Trump
Donald Trump has drawn up a scorecard for corporate America, ranking companies based on their loyalty to his administration. The highly unusual list ranks 533 businesses and trade organisations based on their efforts to champion the US president's 'one big beautiful bill', according to reports. Companies that have fared well deployed a variety of tactics – often trumpeting the benefits of an individual policy, such as Uber's celebration of Mr Trump's 'no tax on tips' proposal. The scorecard, which Axios said will aid decision-making on corporate requests, comes as part of Mr Trump's 'America First' agenda and protectionist policies. The chart allegedly ranks enterprises' levels of support as either strong, moderate or low based on a series of factors. Actions that affect a company's rating are said to include social media posts, adverts, press releases, video testimonials, attendance at White House events and other engagements related to 'OB3' – the administration's nickname for the president's set-piece tax and spending legislation. According to Axios, businesses seen as 'good partners' on the White House list include DoorDash, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Uber, AT&T, Cisco, Airlines for America and the Steel Manufacturers Association. AT&T recently announced 'plans to more quickly build fiber infrastructure thanks to pro-investment policies in the one big beautiful bill act passed by Congress'. Meanwhile Airlines for America – which represents major US airlines including United and Delta – lauded the bill's $12.5bn (£9.2bn) investment in air traffic control. The spreadsheet is said to be an evolving document, to which businesses' support for other presidential initiatives can be added. The ranking 'helps us see who really goes out and helps vs those who just come in and pay lip service,' an official told the news outlet. 'If groups/companies want to start advocating more now for the tax bill or additional administration priorities, we will take that into account in our grading,' the official added. It is not clear which businesses rank low on the list but those likely to have taken a hit may include clean energy companies, who heavily criticised the bill's rollback of green incentives. Mr Trump has also clashed with Wall Street in recent weeks. The president this week hit out at David Solomon, the Goldman Sachs chief executive, saying the bank had been wrong to predict that imposing US tariffs would hurt the US economy. Posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the investment banker should focus on being a DJ – one of his former hobbies – and 'not bother running a major financial institution'. The president has also butted heads with the leaders of JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America, claiming the banks had refused to accept more than $1bn in deposits. Mr Trump has signed an executive order requiring banks not to discriminate against clients on political grounds, in a move that could cause further headaches for the industry. The White House has made public a parallel list tracking the so-called Trump effect, referring to announcements of investments in US manufacturing, production and innovation during the president's second term. It comes as the president is increasingly seeking to exert control over corporate America through protectionist measures, offering tax relief to businesses that bring jobs back to the US and threatening to impose tariffs on those that do not. Business leaders have scrambled to pay homage to the president, offering the US government stakes in their companies and even bestowing personal gifts on the president in a bid to avoid sanctions. Last week, US chip manufacturer Nvidia agreed for the US government to take 15pc of the company's revenues generated in China as part of an agreement to restart exports to Beijing. The unprecedented pact came after Mr Trump barred sales of Nvidia's H20 technology in China earlier this year to boost his tit-for-tat trade war with Beijing, wiping billions of dollars from the $4tn company's value in the process. Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive, last week agreed to invest $100bn in American manufacturing after the president pledged to impose 100pc tariffs on foreign microchip imports. The tech giant's commitment to US manufacturing – as well as Mr Cook's gift of a glass plaque with a 24-carat gold base – earned the company a reprieve from Mr Trump. The president said: 'If you've made a commitment to build (in the US), or if you're in the process of building (in the US), as many are, there is no tariff.'
Wall Street Journal
10 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
AI Won't Replace Historians
Axios last month published a list of 'The 10 jobs least and most threatened by AI.' No. 2 on the threatened list, between translators and passenger attendants, was 'historians.' The source is a study by researchers at Microsoft on the implications of generative artificial intelligence on the labor force. The study uses data from Copilot, Microsoft's competitor to ChatGPT, to match user requests with relevant career paths. In doing so, it purports to demonstrate the level to which work activities in certain careers are 'covered' by generative AI. To their credit, the researchers are modest about their findings. They note that in the past, efficiency tools have often tended to increase the value of work, not decrease it. Whether generative AI will have a similar effect is too early to tell.
