You’ll thank them later: Starbucks adds heart-healthy olive oil to coffee

Coffee giant Starbucks is enhancing its brews with a dose of heart-healthy olive oil through a new beverage platform called “oliato,” a play on the Latin word for “olive” and the Italian concept of “with oil.”

The Oleato platform was born from founder Howard Schultz’s love of Italian coffee, produce and culture, and includes Starbucks Arabica coffee blended with a spoonful of Partna cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil.

Starbucks

“During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was struck by the sense of community, connection and passion for coffee I found in the city’s espresso bars,” Schultz — who is the company’s interim CEO — said in a statement. “It was that trip that inspired me to bring Starbucks and the ritual of artisanal espresso to America.”

“Oleato represents the next revolution in coffee that brings together an alchemy of nature’s best ingredients—Starbucks Arabica coffee beans and Partna cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil,” he said.

Starbucks

Oat milk was chosen as the base for all drinks in the Oleato lineup because of how well it complements Starbucks’ blonde espresso, a spokesperson for the coffee chain told VegNews.

Olive oil in Starbucks coffee?

Schultz found inspiration for the Oleato platform in an olive grove in Sicily, where he learned about the Mediterranean tradition of consuming a spoonful of olive oil daily for vitality. Schultz combined the olive oil ritual with his daily coffee and brought the idea back to Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle, WA to create the Oleato drink.

“I feel as inspired today as I did 40 years ago, Oleato has opened our eyes to new possibilities and a transformative way to enjoy our everyday coffee,” said Schultz.

The addition of partna olive oil, he says, does something magical to the coffee. “In both hot and cold coffee drinks, what it produced was an unexpected, velvety, buttery flavor that enhanced the coffee and lingered beautifully on the palate,” he said.

Starbucks

To build the drink on the Oleato platform, Schultz tapped Starbucks food and beverage developer Amy Dilger—who previously worked as a patisserie chef in Europe for a decade.

Dilger designed a variety of drinks using Starbucks Blonde espresso, oat milk and other ingredients that complement the richness of Partanna’s olive oil, produced by family farmers from an ancient grove for four generations.

“Infusion is really important,” Dilger said. “When you steam or whisk partna extra virgin olive oil with oat milk, it creates this luxurious, textural experience, just like whole milk.”

Where to get Starbucks olive oil coffee?

Starbucks stores in Italy are the first to taste the new Oleato line with the introduction of Oleato Caffè Latte, Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso, and Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew this week. The drinks will roll out to Starbucks locations in multiple regions starting in Southern California this spring before hitting Japan, the Middle East and the UK later this year.

Starbucks

At the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan, customers will have a special Oleato drink menu made with its Reserve Espresso: Caffe Latte, Iced Cortado, Golden Foam Cold Brew, Deconstructed and Golden Foam Espresso Martini (made with vodka).

A Starbucks spokesperson confirmed that while the new Oleato platform features oat milk, all drinks made with “golden foam”—such as Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew, Reserve Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew, and Oleato Golden Foam Espresso Martini—contain dairy.

Other beverages are vegetarian-friendly, and in some regions, Starbucks will offer customers a “press”—the equivalent of a spoonful—of olive oil mixed into other beverages such as espresso-based drinks and tea.

Oat milk at Starbucks

Starbucks first forayed into Oatly milk in January 2020 when it tested Oatly at 1,200 Midwest locations. By spring 2021, the coffee giant has expanded oat milk to more than 15,000 of its locations nationwide. The addition of vegan milk was featured as part of the iced brown sugar Shaken Oatmilk Espresso, a drink that gained huge popularity.

Starbucks continues its exploration of oat milk – the fourth vegan milk on its menu in recent years, alongside almond, coconut and soy.

Starbucks

Around the holidays last year, Starbucks introduced the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, its first fall drink that’s vegan without a twist. Inspired by apple-forward baked goods, the base here is oat milk which was chosen again, because of how well it complements Starbucks’ blonde espresso.

Notably, the 2021 version of this same drink included dairy by default, an ingredient Starbucks changed to appeal to more consumers.

Starbucks

Built around olive oil and oat milk, the new Oleato platform continues Starbucks ethos of innovation and exploration. It comes a month before Schultz stepped down as interim CEO.

“The art of coffee craft, curation and creation is at the core of Starbucks,” said Schultz. “Our desire to be the world leader in premium coffee—both in art and science—is as strong today as it was 50 years ago when Starbucks first opened its doors.”

“Embracing our heritage, we are dedicated to exceeding our customers’ expectations by savoring innovative experiences,” he said.