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No-Coffee Drink Big Hit in Utah
The Salt Lake Tribune, Wednesday, August 28, 2002
http://www.sltrib.com/08282002/wednesda/765839.htm
Could this be the pool table in River City? The gateway drug to the hard stuff? The first real threat to Diet Coke dominance in Utah?
Starbucks Coffee last month introduced a sweet, creamy, icy libation called the “Vanilla Creme Frappuccino.” Not exactly news to send the stock market spiraling, but the odd thing is this concoction contains no coffee. “Coffee-free indulgence,” built on the roasted ground seeds of the coffee berry fruit, effuses the global conglomerate.
It must play in Utah because some Salt Lake Valley locations have had such demand for the blended milk and vanilla smoothie they have a hard time keeping the ingredients in stock.
“It’s been crazy,” said a green-aproned barista at one of the chain’s licensed locations inside a Sandy supermarket. “I just had a woman come in and order six of them.”
Starbucks corporate officials are quick to discount any conspiracy theories that this new product line is merely a sugar-coated siren to lure in those who subscribe to the no-coffee health code of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“We are very respectful of people who choose not to drink coffee or tea and this beverage just offers us another opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of what the Starbucks experience is,” said Bridget Barrett in Denver, marketing manager for Utah, Wyoming and Colorado Starbucks.
[...]
“This drink is popular all across the U.S. with both coffee and noncoffee drinkers,” she said. “It’s a great compliment to our menu.”
Still, the drink may present a dilemma for a few Utah residents who worry that someone might spot them ducking into a Starbucks and get the wrong idea. For them, entering a coffee shop, even if it is just to get a sip of coffee-free indulgence, is akin to going into a state liquor store to pick up the free boxes that are perfect for moving. Just too risky.
[...]
But already there are signs that the innocent Vanilla Creme Frappuccino may be up to no good.
“A lot of our regular customers look at those drinks and say, ‘No coffee? What’s the point?’ ” said a clerk at a Salt Lake City Starbucks. “But we also have people who order them and have us add a shot [of espresso] or two.”
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