The coffee giant delves into fruit and vegetable juices with the debut of its new juice bar chain.
Starbucks Corp. debuted its first Evolution Fresh juice bar store on Monday. The launch is expected to boost the company’s position in the $50 billion health food sector, Reuters reported.
Starbucks bought Evolution Fresh for $30 million in cash in November. At the time of the purchase, Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said successful independent juice bars have annual sales of well over $1 million per unit.
Starbucks has yet to announce the number of juice bars it plans to open. Its first store has opened in an upscale shopping area in Bellevue, Wash., an affluent city just east of Seattle.
The store features mixologists, who dispense juices, including apple, coconut water, carrot and beet, from taps to create “hand crafted” concoctions with names like “sweet burn” and “field of greens,” Reuters noted. The eight-ounce drinks sell for $4.99 and the 16-ounce drinks are priced at $7.99.
Also available are bottled Evolution Fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, as well as foods including oatmeal, wraps, salads and soups. The menu includes vegan and vegetarian options and “super foods” like kale and quinoa.
Evolution Fresh bottled juices will also be sold in Starbucks’ company-owned stores this year, replacing Naked Juice products from PepsiCo Inc.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices have gained in popularity in the U.S. with some health-conscious consumers using them as meal replacements, while others drink them as part of “cleansing” diets.
