Starbucks bet a national launch on olive oil coffee — gone in under a year

Oleato was the last flagship project of longtime CEO Howard Schultz before he stepped down: after watching Sicilians take olive oil daily, he had the beverage team blend Partanna olive oil into coffee. The line launched in Italy in early 2023, spread to Southern California, then went nationwide across the United States and Canada in January 2024 as an olive-oil latte, an iced shaken espresso and an infused cold foam.

Inside the company the launch was talked up as a landmark. The marketing chief called it one of Starbucks' biggest launches in decades, and Schultz's successor Laxman Narasimhan later described it as a top-five launch of the past five years in brand awareness. Outside, reception ran the other way from the start: critics called the drinks a stunt, and customers complained the oil sent their stomachs into turmoil.

On October 29, 2024, Starbucks confirmed that Oleato would leave US and Canada menus from early November — less than a year after going nationwide. The company said the decision had been made before incoming CEO Brian Niccol arrived, but it fit his stated plan to simplify what he called an overly complex menu. Only Italy, China and Japan kept the drinks on.