The Grocery Brand Behemoth Behind Starbucks-Branded Creamers And Coffees

Starbucks is a global coffee empire that has grown beyond the coffee shops by selling branded products like coffees and creamers, offering customers a chance to recreate Starbucks drinks at home. But entering the retail space isn't easy, given the high expectations people have for a brand like Starbucks and how much competition there is in the coffee category. That's why it came as a surprise when Starbucks partnered with a fellow coffee giant (and a potential rival) to bring many of its branded products to life: Nestlé.

The partnership between the two companies was announced in 2018, with a press release stating "the two companies will work closely together on the existing Starbucks range of roast and ground coffee, whole beans as well as instant and portioned coffee." Later, flavored creamers became part of the lineup as well. Though slightly uncanny, the partnership actually turned out to be incredibly lucrative for both brands; Starbucks got help from an experienced coffee brand with a global retail reach, and Nestlé could leave a mark on (and make profit from) a fan-favorite brand that could otherwise be a big competitor. That said, there were two things Starbucks refused to share with Nestlé within the deal: its ready-to-drink bottled and canned products and sales from the coffee shops.

One of the very first products the two coffee moguls worked on together was Starbucks-branded coffee creamers. Nestlé already had an admirable 50 years of experience in the creamer space, while Starbucks was just starting to dip its toes into that water. The coffee shop experience is vastly different from speedily pouring half-and-half into your black coffee at home, so Nestlé worked hard to translate the texture and flavor of Starbucks' signature offerings to the at-home products. 

After visiting Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle, Nestlé's team developed a line of creamers and the first creations to hit the shelves were Caramel Macchiato, Cinnamon Dolce Latte, and White Chocolate Mocha. We've recently taste-tested a brand-new line, which includes flavors like Lavender Latte and Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso.

Nestlé's Innovation Team is also keeping a close eye on customer feedback about what consumers of Starbucks-branded products really want. The team created the cold brew concentrate after realizing that American customers are often far too busy to make cold brew from scratch. They've also created Starbucks Essential Vitamins coffee with several B vitamins, possibly a nod to the fact that products rated as 'healthy' make up 37% of Nestlé's sales.