Starbucks is abandoning olive oil coffee, which was the brainchild of its former CEO

new York
CNN
—

Starbucks is removing its controversial olive oil-infused drinks from its menu less than a year after their nationwide debut.

The range of “Oleato” drinks will be removed from Starbucks menus in the US and Canada starting in early November. This is part of the chain's broader plans to simplify a menu that newly installed CEO Brian Niccol recently described as “overly complex,” according to a source familiar with the company's plans. However, the decision to skip the drinks was made before Niccol's arrival, the source added.

The turning point comes after a bombastic drinks start. “It's one of the biggest launches in decades,” former Starbucks chief marketing officer Brady Brewer told CNN in February 2023. “It’s not a flavor or a product, it’s a platform.”

Oleato was the brainchild of former CEO Howard Schultz, who came up with the idea after meeting with an olive oil producer introduced him to the practice of consuming a tablespoon of olive oil every day. Schultz picked up the habit himself and wondered if he could combine it with his daily coffee routine. He then asked the Starbucks beverage team if they could do it.

The result was a range of drinks that received a predominantly negative response in the media and consumers.

Two reviewers posted a video titled “We Tried Starbucks Olive Oil Coffee Drinks and Seriously Regretted It.” Others had mixed feelings, but concluded that the drinks seemed more like a stunt – something worth trying, but not necessarily worth returning to.

Meanwhile, some even complained that the drinks caused painful stomach problems.

The drinks first hit the market in Italy in early 2023 before migrating to other U.S. cities a few months later. It launched in the US and Canada in January 2024. The Oleato menu consists of two drinks: an oat milk latte with extra virgin olive oil; and a shaken espresso with toffee nut ice cream and golden foam, a sweet vanilla cream infused with extra virgin olive oil to a cold foam.

Schultz was ecstatic about the launch and it was one of his most high-profile projects before he left his position. Former CEO Laxman Narasimhan claimed the drinks were “extremely successful” and called them “one of the top five launches of the last five years in terms of brand awareness and excitement.”

Narasimhan was fired in August and replaced by Niccol, who has been vocal about his plans to simplify the Starbucks menu amid declining sales.