Nestlé and Starbucks to enter refrigerated creamer category

23 Jul 2019 --- Nestlé and Starbucks have collaborated to release a range of refrigerated creamers – marking Starbucks’ first foray into the category. The line has been in development for under a year and is the fourth product platform released since the companies formed a global coffee alliance in August 2018. The collaboration combines Starbucks’ staple flavors with Nestlé’s expertise in the creamer category to allow consumers the convenience of enjoying Starbucks at home.

“We’re seeing this launch as an opportunity to bring new users into the creamer category, such as people who frequent a Starbucks café but are currently using creams or milks to whiten their coffee in-home,” Daniel Jhung, President of Beverage, Nestlé USA tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “Additionally, we see this as an incremental opportunity to encourage consumers who frequent the coffee shop to also enjoy the Starbucks café flavors they know from the comforts of their home.”

The creamers will be available in three flavors. The creamers will be available in Caramel, White Chocolate and Cinnamon Dolce flavors. These are inspired by the Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Mocha and Cinnamon Dolce Latte drinks served in Starbucks cafés. According to Nestlé, the US refrigerated creamer market is predicted to reach US$7.8 billion by 2023, making this a potentially lucrative product. However, there are no current details about future products or the expansion of Starbucks Creamers into additional markets.  

“Since forming their alliance, both companies saw creamers as a growth opportunity and leveraged Nestlé’s more than 50 years of expertise in the creamer category with Starbucks’ heritage of nearly 50 years. The first challenge of creating a creamer is making sure the base offers the right texture, sweetness, aroma and background notes. We weren’t looking to take an existing creamer base and apply signature Starbucks flavors. Instead, we were truly creating a completely new base to fit Starbucks flavor profiles,” Jhung says. 

Additionally, Jhung notes that Nestlé had to trust itself to bring the flavors from Starbucks to the creamer category. “The Starbucks R&D team was integral in this process – helping to finalize the flavors and offering their insights to ensure we nailed the tastes that Starbucks customers expect.”

“The global coffee alliance has allowed us to develop and launch new Starbucks products at an unprecedented speed. We are very pleased to expand the Starbucks brand into the creamers category less than a year after we closed the deal. We will continue to move fast to deliver great Starbucks coffee experiences to our consumers around the world,” adds David Rennie, Head of Beverages Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé S.A.

Earlier this year, Nestlé launched a range of 24 Starbucks products across various platforms, following its 2018 closure of a US$7.15 billion licensing deal to market Starbucks Consumer Packaged Goods and Foodservice products globally. The acquisition strengthened Nestlé’s coffee portfolio in the North American premium roast and ground and portioned coffee business. It also unlocked global expansion in grocery and foodservice for the Starbucks brand, utilizing the global reach of Nestlé. 

By Katherine Durrell