14 DAY TRIAL // The world’s biggest coffee chain is making a bold move to shatter competition, having announced the introduction of a new supersized drink. The Trenta cup will become available for certain beverages starting this month.
The Trenta is a 31-ounce cup (916 ml), which will only cost $0.50 more than the Venti, the previously largest size, the National Post reports.
If you happen to be watching your weight, you should also know that unsweetened drinks come with about 90 calories extra in the Trenta cup, while sweetened beverages with less than 230 calories.
“The new size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks in the United States,” the National Post writes.
“The Trenta size will debut in 14 states, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona, on Jan. 18 and in California on Feb. 1,” says the same publication.
If the announcement comes as a surprise, it really shouldn’t, the e-zine goes on to say, since Starbucks has been testing several markets in the US to see whether such a supersized cup would be more welcome.
Apparently, customers would love larger cold beverages. Plus, Starbucks has been seeing some competition in this area, wherefrom the need to make more attractive offers to customers.
“McDonald’s Corp, the world’s biggest fast-food restaurant chain, has taken direct aim at Starbucks with frappes, fruit smoothies and espresso drinks such as lattes and cappuccino. It also has lured customers by selling 32-ounce (946.4 ml) sweet tea drinks for $1 each,” the National Post writes.
Convenience stores have done the same, selling fountain drinks in large sizes like 32 and 64 ounces, so for Starbucks to up the ante on its own products had become a necessity.
As one can easily imagine, in the context in which nutritionists are struggling to efficiently tackle the obesity epidemics, Starbucks’ move was not welcomed warmly by the community. On the contrary, actually.
