Leading coffee chain Starbucks is dropping its range of extra virgin olive oil-infused coffee in the USA and Canada, according to a BBC report.
The company made the announcement less than a week after it reported falling sales and its new CEO Brian Niccol said he would be making changes to its menu in a bid to win back customers, the 30 October report said.
Although the Starbucks Oleato range would be unavailable in the USA and Canada from early November, it would still be sold in some outlets in Italy, Japan and China.
“While this decision was made prior to Brian Niccol taking the role of CEO, the decision to remove the beverages aligns with his strategy to simplify our menu,” a Starbucks spokesperson told the BBC.
Previously head of the Mexican food chain Chipotle, Niccol was brought into Starbucks to help turn the business around, the report said.
In the week prior to the report, Niccol said he would be simplifying what he described as an “overly complex menu”.
Starbucks announced that its global sales had fallen by 7% between July and September compared to the previous year.
After its launch in Italy, the company rolled out the Oleato range - which included an iced shaken espresso and a latte with olive oil and oat milk - in North America less than a year ago, the BBC wrote.
The inspiration for the range followed a trip to Sicily in 2022 by Starbucks former CEO Howard Schultz.
According to a Starbucks press release in 2023, Schultz came up with the idea “after being introduced to the Mediterranean custom of taking a spoonful of olive oil each day”.
However, the drinks received mixed reactions from customers, with some reporting stomach aches or bowel problems, the BBC wrote.
