As of Tuesday, Starbucks has integrated their new Via instant coffee packets in all stores across the United States and Canadia. They are pushing this addition by a massive advertising campaign and also in-store merchandising.
So why is Starbucks entering the instant coffee market? Instant coffee does around 17 billion dollars in annual global sales. That is 40% of the global coffee market. Definitely worth Starbuck’s time, especially in a depressed market.
Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz believes people will find it hard to taste the difference between Via and the company’s brewed coffees. “We are sitting on one of the biggest opportunities the company has ever had,” Schultz told reporters in a conference call. “We have a chance to transform the coffee industry.”
To read more about the Via launch, please visit http://www.marketwatch.com/story/starbucks-next-fix-instant-coffee-2009-09-29?link=kiosk
