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Starbucks will start selling its controversial olive oil-infused coffee drinks in more states and cities. These drinks, called Oleato, were introduced in the United States in March and received mixed reviews.
In the US, they were first available in California, Illinois, New York, and Washington. Globally, they can be bought in Italy, Japan, the UK, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
Oleato drinks will soon be available in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and more.
The Oleato menu includes an oat milk latte, an iced toffee nut espresso drink, and a cold brew with olive-oil-infused cold foam called golden foam. Each drink contains a spoonful of olive oil which adds 120 calories.
It has been reported that some people experience stomach problems due to the combination of olive oil and coffee.
The drinks were first launched in Italy earlier this year, and opinions about them varied. Some customers regretted trying them, while others thought the drinks were special.
Some think that Starbucks launched the drinks to generate attention and get publicity. If that’s true, the plan seems to be working.
The idea for Oleato came from former CEO Howard Schultz, who learned about the benefits of consuming olive oil daily. He wondered if he could combine it with coffee and asked Starbucks’ beverage team to develop some drinks.
The current CEO, Laxman Narasimhan says it’s “one of the top five product launches in the last five years in terms of brand awareness and excitement.”
Vocabulary
- Controversial – something that causes a lot of disagreement or discussion;
- Infuse – To add or mix something into another thing to give it a particular quality or flavor
- Introduce – to start using for the first time; launch
- Mixed review – When different people have different opinions about something, with some liking it and others not liking it
- Available – able to be used: ready for use; accessible
- Globally – related to the whole world; everywhere in the world
- Include – to contain; incorporate; to be part of; to have something smaller as a part of it;
- Foam – A light and bubbly substance that forms on the surface of liquids (if you pour a beer fast, there is white foam at the top)
- Contain – to have within; to hold inside; to be part of
- Spoonful – The amount of something that fits on a spoon, usually used to measure small quantities
- Calorie – a unit used in measuring the amount of energy food gives you when eaten and digested
- Report – to tell other people about something; to share information; announce; explain
- Experience – something that happens to you or something you do that affects how you feel; an emotional situation
- Combination – When two or more things are put together or mixed to create something new
- Launch – start selling something; introduce a new product or service; to start using a new thing
- Opinion – a view; belief; point of view; theory; idea
- Regret – To feel sad or sorry about something that has happened or something somebody did
- Generate – produce; create; cause; make
- Attention – notice; thought; interest; awareness; focus
- Publicity – The attention or awareness given to someone or something through the media or public exposure
- Former – previous; past; ex-; before; in the past
- CEO (Chief Executive officer) – the top person in a large company; president; boss
- Benefit – advantage; something good; merit; strong point; perk
- Consume – to eat, drink, or use something up
- Develop – to make into something more advanced; to improve; to grow something to become better
- In terms of – Referring to or considering something; speaking about something
- Brand – the name of a company and its image; one product with a specific name made by one company, e.g., Sprite is one of Coca-Cola’s brands
- Awareness – Knowledge or understanding about something
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Have you heard about Starbucks’ Oleato drinks before? What are your initial thoughts or opinions about them?
- Would you be interested in trying the Oleato drinks based on the information provided? Why or why not?
- Do you think Starbucks launched the Oleato drinks primarily to generate attention and publicity? Why or why not?
- Are there any other unique or unusual beverage combinations that you have seen? What were they, and what was your experience with them?
Original Story
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
