Prime Highlights
- Starbucks is experimenting with a sugar-free vanilla latte with protein-enriched banana cold foam in some U.S. locations.
- The action marks Starbucks’ entry back into dietary high-protein beverages, aiming at health-focused consumers and weight-loss drug users.
Key Facts
- The new beverage is being tested in five U.S. locations as part of the “Starting Five” initiative.
- Protein banana foam can be added to any cold foam drink.
- Starbucks discontinued its previous protein drink line, Vivanno, in 2018 after a 10-year run.
Key Background
Starbucks is strategically transitioning as it enters the fast-growing protein drink market. As consumer trends continue to move in a health and wellness direction, particularly among fitness enthusiasts who utilize GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Starbucks is looking to tap into that demand through innovative beverages. The newest experiment includes a sugar-free vanilla latte topped with a protein-laden banana-flavored cold foam, which is being rolled out in five U.S. stores.
The test is one component of the company’s overall “Back to Starbucks” plan by CEO Laxman Narasimhan that emphasizes updating the menu and enhancing speed, ease, and relevance. The effort involves cutting approximately 30% of slower-selling menu items while adding new items to capitalize on current trends. The “Starting Five” process—so called for a rotating batch of test stores—seeks to hone new ideas through live feedback from customers and workers before a potential roll-out across the country.
The new test marks a resurgence of Starbucks’ earlier foray into serving high-protein beverages. Between 2008 and 2018, the company retailed Vivanno smoothies, presented as healthy and protein-rich, but eventually discontinued for reasons of changing consumer appetite and logistical issues. Starbucks has, nonetheless, persisted in its development of the protein category around the world. In 2024, it launched ready-to-consume protein coffee in European countries under a collaboration with Arla Foods. These bottled beverages provide 20 grams of protein, have zero added sugars, and are available in a number of flavors including chocolate mocha and caramel hazelnut.
Now, by including protein in cold foam—a variable topping for its selection of iced drinks—Starbucks is providing a versatile and possibly hits-in-the-making solution in its stores. The action not only expands its healthy drink portfolio but also takes advantage of its competence in cold beverage innovation, a front on which it already leads in the U.S. market.
This move highlights Starbucks’ larger goal to transform from a coffee-focused brand to a healthier, more diversified beverage company. If it succeeds, the protein banana cold foam idea might be replicated throughout the U.S., likely alongside other function beverages targeted at a health-conscious audience.
