Starbucks says it will start selling a decaf version of its Via instant coffee in the United States on Nov 17.
The coffee chain, which in the middle of a corporate turnaround, hopes that Via will help it grab a big piece the $21 billion instant coffee market from established players like Nestle’s Nescafe and Kraft Foods Inc’s Sanka.
Borrowing from the old Pepsi vs. Coke taste challenges, Starbucks baristas for four days invited customers to do side-by-side comparisons of Via and its regular brew.
Starbucks says early indicators show that Via is exceeding expectations with regard to sales and customer and employee response.
How did Via fare versus your own expectations?
(Photo/Starbucks)
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Via tasted better than I expected it would and tasted like Starbucks’ brewed coffee.
- Posted by Kristopher Mayo[...] also plans on marketing a decaffeinated version of the on-the-go beverages for the holiday [...]
- Posted by Starbucks VIA debuts at Stony Brook « The Red HotDecaf Via is terrible. Maybe it’s just my city water. I’ll keep trying because I love the concept and the decaf at Starbucks.
- Posted by Gordon Uppman