Yahoo Finance Starbucks' yogurt kale smoothie
Dreaming about a yogurt smoothie with kale? Starbucks (SBUX) says dream no more... it’s here.
The coffee giant has teamed up with Danone (DANOY) to launch a line of “healthy” smoothies. The Greek yogurt drinks will be customizable with items such as kale and protein powder.
Yahoo Finance Senior Columnist Michael Santoli points out that customized smoothies could add to the wait time at Starbucks.
“They already are far too labor intensive in terms of getting these drinks made behind the counter. It is a matter of frustration,” he says. “They used to measure how many people walked into a Starbucks and walked back out because the line was too long… presumably there's going to be a shaker or blender involved, probably a food processor, who knows. It's really something I do think will be a concern if these things turn into a hit.”
The company has offered smoothies since 2008, and Starbucks notes that the new drinks will actually reduce barista preparation time.
"Since the early stages of testing (last June), our partners (employees) have enthusiastically supported these smoothies in that they were designed with simple ingredients and a simple, efficient execution," says Starbucks spokeswoman Sanja Gould.
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Starbucks’ smoothie expansion comes as the company aims to double its food sales. Santoli notes that food could be an important growth area for Starbucks.
"You can only drink so many cups of coffee," he says. "It's not necessarily the kind of thing you have all throughout the day... I think food makes sense, but it's very hard to get it right.”
As for Danone yogurt, Santoli points out that the Starbucks deal will provide a boost to the brand.
"They obviously are fighting it out on the supermarket shelves and this is probably a boon for them, especially if it gets to be associated with the Starbucks brand," he says. "So I do think that's probably a bonus for them."
Note: This article has been updated to include the comment from Starbucks
