These beverages are being booted.
Starbucks’ olive oil-infused drinks are being nixed just a year after being added to the menu as the company’s new CEO looks to streamline service.
Oleato products will be permanently removed from the core menu starting Nov. 7, when the Starbucks’ holiday drinks launch, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.
The memo said that Starbucks is “saying goodbye to Starbucks Oleato beverages and toffee nut syrup.”
New CEO Brian Niccol, who took over the chain Sept. 9, noted that one of his priorities to accelerate growth at the company is to simplify the “overly complex” menu so baristas can speed up service.
However, according to Bloomberg, the company said that the decision to nix the Oleato drinks was made before Niccol took over, though it aligns with the plan to scale back the menu.
Oleato (Italian for “oiled”) drinks debuted in Italy in February 2023 before making their way to select California locations in March 2023, eventually becoming available nationwide on Jan. 30, 2024.
The beverages, infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil, were the brainchild of Starbucks’ former CEO, Howard Schultz, who believed the drink was a “transformational way to enjoy our daily coffee.”
Oleato’s origin story began with Schultz’s visit to Sicily when he was introduced to the Mediterranean custom of having a daily spoonful of olive oil, according to the Starbucks website.
While enjoying his morning coffee, he had the inspiration to combine the two items.
Some consumers reported experiencing unfortunate stomach issues from the coffee-oil combo.
Baristas and customers alike gave the drink candid reviews on Reddit in a thread titled “Olive oil drinks…“
“Caffeine is a stimulant for your bowels and oil a relaxant. So yeah wonderful idea by Starbucks,” one person pointed out.
“Half the team tried it yesterday and a few ended up … Needing to use the restroom, if ya know what I mean … I’m honestly scared to try it because I already have stomach/bowel problems,” wrote a suspected Starbucks barista.
Meanwhile, The Post’s own Steve Cuozzo panned the drinks in a review penned last year, writing: “The alleged spoonful of Partanna in each tasted less like olive oil than chemical solvent with a nasty, lingering aftertaste.”
Cuozzo added that “Starbucks loves to ruin its very good, dark-roasted brewed coffee with expensive, goofy and ill-advised add-ons.”