Starbucks Unveils Via Ready Brew Line

Reuters: Starbucks Corp, whose chief executive is trying to fight “misperceptions about affordability” for the coffee chain’s brands, unveiled on Tuesday its new Via Ready Brew instant coffee that sells for less than $1 per cup.
The latest move from the Seattle company, which grew rapidly by selling pricy lattes and other “affordable luxuries,” is another example of how management has changed course since its business succumbed to overexpansion and the world tumbled into recession.
Starbucks now hopes that Via will expand its reach in the $17 billion global coffee market by appealing to travelers, campers, home coffee brewers and other coffee lovers who have their coffee outside one of the company’s 12,000 global cafes.
Starbucks will begin selling Via next month in select markets in the United States and in London. A trio of single-serve Via packets will sell for $2.95 in the U.S. and 12 packets will be priced at $9.95.
“The coffee consumption landscape is ripe for disruption,” Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said in a statement. “This is a big move for us – an opportunity to reinvent a category, create new rituals and grow our customer base.”
Its latest move would pit Via against best-selling instant coffee brands like Nestle’s Nescafe and Kraft Foods’ Sanka. Kraft distributes products for Starbucks.
Starbucks unveils Via instant coffee [Reuters]