At the Starbucks headquarters, on the 8th floor, there is a hallway that has a number of alcoves off of it. The alcoves display products sold at current Starbucks stores, Seattle’s Best products, Tazo tea, and a display of Consumer Packaged Goods (“CPG”) available all over the world. My understanding is that at one time the little alcoves had doors on them and were conference rooms. When I get the chance to visit the SSC (Starbucks calls their headquarters the “Starbucks Support Center”) I definitely tend to linger going up and down this hallway. I always want to take everything in.
So today, I thought I’d share a number of photos that I quickly took of the CPG alcove during a recent visit to the SSC on November 11, 2011. A number of the products shown in these photos are international only. I have always wondered what it would be like to try the “Discoveries” ready-to-drink products. The Via Ready Brew in a jar appears to be still a UK only product. In one photo you can see packages of Starbucks Origami Personal Drip coffee, which is a single-use pour over product available in Japan. By the way, CPG includes all the ice cream products too! I wish I had taken a close up of all the kinds of Starbucks ice cream.
Every time I visit the SSC, I am always hosted by a partner, and every visit is probably longer than they expect because they have to pull me out of these little alcove rooms. I didn’t have a ton of time, but here are the few pics I took of the CPG alcove.
There is always something to take a picture of at the SSC. In September this year, I snapped a few photos of classic Starbucks tea packaging dating back to the early 1990s. Here’s the previous article on the tea: Starbucks Finest Tea. What’s your favorite Starbucks thing available in your local grocery store? I do really think that CPG is a fun category. It includes bottled Frappuccinos, Via Ready Brew, Tazo Tea, coffee in grocery stores, and much more. And Starbucks has said a number of times at investor events (quarterly investor reports and conference calls) that the CPG category is only going to grow much bigger. So I would expect more to come to your local grocery store!
Speaking of Tazo Tea, it was recently in the news that Starbucks has decided to relocate the Tazo Tea operations from their Portland headquarters to Kent, Washington. While it sounds like the plan is to consolidate operations, I have to assume that the employees at Tazo are disappointed to leave their beloved headquarters. Where is the Tazo tea stone going to be relocated to? 😉
Enjoy the photos! Talk about anything Starbucks-related. This is an open thread.
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How funny that you should post this today as I was just asking my RD yesterday about whether Starbucks was looking to put some of the packaged things in grocery stores here that are elsewhere. Apparently we can’t have the ice cream here because it’d have to be manufactured here, and because we have a dairy board milk costs us double what it does anywhere else in the world so it would cost way too much, and people wouldn’t buy it. Which is a shame, because I love it! 🙂
Again Melody great photos. Can you actually purchase these products while there or are they for display purposes only? Would love to know the different flavors of ice cream. I rarely buy SB products in the grocery store except for the ice cream and when they discontinued the low fat coffee I tend to stay away from it. I have not found any of the hot chocolate in any of the supermarkets around here. Also, saw the SM yesterday at my local SB and suggested to him he move the holiday bear to another location as it is being smothered by other items and no one can really see it. Thanks again for the great photos. Oh- just curious- when you go to SSC is it the same partner that shows you around?
@Purple1 – Those are good questions. Sorry I’m answering you in a bit of a rush. At this point, I have one stable contact person at the SSC for most things that I do there – it wasn’t always that way, but now I am glad that I finally have one person that I can go to, who I like, and is very knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about Starbucks. The majority of my visits to the SSC are hosted by that one person. Partners in PR (and I think to some degree digital strategy too??) are resposible for outreach to blogs, news, and whatever …
Nothing on the display was for sale. I wish!! I am sure that somewhere at the SSC there has got to be a way to try some of those international products, but I don’t know how that happens for sure. I would assume that either Jeff Hansberry (the big cpg exec), and/or someone directly under him has easy access to all these awesome cpg products. Just an assumption on my part.
As I think about it, I think the new hot chocolates were missing from the display – don’t think I saw them.
That Starbuck Origami looks so cool. I’d love to try it without going to Japan.
It all looks like a dream come true! Would’ve loved to have been taken along 😉
Ughh and might I add that Matcha Latte looks delicious!!! Love my Soy Green Tea Latte! <3
I’m curious if any former partners visit Starbucks still after leaving the company. In my experience I still went daily for about a year after, then slowly ramped it down to about once a week.
I like to buy and drink Tazo Tea. I wish they carried the same stuff in the grocery stores as in the Starbucks stores. I can only find the regular teabags in the grocery store, not the better stuff in the tins.
@Adam – I am a former partner who still visits Starbucks a lot. In all honesty, I’m not sure how much I’d go to Starbucks vs another place if there were a choice. In my town, Starbucks is the only coffee shop (unless you count the corner stand in the bookstore).
I wish I could visit that hallway there are so many products like via in a jar
That I’d like to request
I wish that was the hallway outside of my bedroom! That would make my day so fantastic!
Also, I’ve been searching high and low, but can NOT find that instant hot chocolate ANYWHERE near me! *sadface*
I’m surprised that they have these products. I would have expected SBC to do most of the grocery business.
while I do like tea I’m a much bigger fan of coffee. I’ve been both suprized and excited about all of the products Starbucks has been showing up at the grocery store. Basically I can just start making my drinks at home which is nice. I know Scearley likes it when I make special coffee for him and now I can do it with starbucks signature flavors 🙂
I FINALLY got your comment page to load!! I was so impatient because I loved this post! My first question was the same…were the items for sale or available to try? But, it was answered before! If half of these products were as good as the new hot cocoa, that is a definite win on the CPG stuff!!
Also, I meant to comment that I’m sad to see no Africa Kitamu with the other bags of coffee on the shelf…but maybe they’re in the corner I can’t see! 🙂
Interesting, fascinating post. Where are the Discoveries items sold?
A kind of answer to “favorite Starbucks thing available in your local grocery store?” is the DoubleShot Light. However, it doesn’t seem to be available in stores around here anymore (the regular is, just not the light) – only in Starbucks’ cold case.
@TheatreNut – I heard that Discoveries are available in Japan, Europe, and I think UK too. There are a ton of areas that sell them, but just not the US! @BCav – You’re not finding the hot choc? Which of the 4 flavors were you most wanting to try?
I THINK the new hot cocoas are in high demand, I snatched the marshmallow one when I saw it, but have never seen the salted caramel one and now they’re MIA again.
i am both happy and sad to hear about the tazo headquarters moving. it’s something i really expected to happen sooner, but you’re probably right about the employees being a bit unhappy/disappointed in the move.
also, the next time you head up to the ssc, i’d love to go with! i really would like to see some of the international products up close, especially the origami pour-over kits. they sound very neat indeed 🙂
Starbucks grocery products looked very nice. I just wish that there is a Starbucks near to my place. It is because I want to try the Tazo Tea. Starbucks Origami Personal Drip coffee seems interesting to try too. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos.
I dont have a starbucks near me anymore but there is one near my mums, I really like the crisps (aka chips) they sell, I wish I could get bigger bags or get them in the supermarket.
@Elly I’ll work on that! I’d love to go with you to the ssc. Funny thing is, I didn’t open up the boxes – All those boxes could be empty! LOL. Definitely the ice cream cartons are empty. @Stephen Hillson – You’re welcome. I think you can get the Tazo tea in most grocery stores, but you have to go to Japan for the Origami pour over.
Wow! Such a great post! Fun fact: we used to sell the Discoveries products here in the UK along with the double shot in a can, but those two were discontinued this summer and replaced by bottled Strawberries and Cream and Mocha frappuccinos. I still miss the double shot!