Starbucks (SBUX) has, over the years, had a number of seasonal and limited-edition drinks that have photographed well -- and subsequently went viral on Instagram.
Many are not even officially released and took off only when fans started sharing them as "secret menu hacks" on Instagram and TikTok — most recently, that's been the "Sunset Drink" that is actually a mix of a Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, iced herbal tea and peach juice.
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A Starbucks beverage that withstood the test of time is the descriptively-named Pink Drink. The combination of strawberry açai blend, coconut milk and freeze-dried strawberries was formerly a secret menu order that, after becoming popularized by fans, was added to Starbucks' permanent roster in 2017.
The Pink And Paradise Drinks Are Coming To The Grocery Store
In September 2022, Starbucks first teased that the Pink Drink would soon come "to grocery stores nationwide."
On April 5, the coffee giant confirmed that it had developed several new bottled drink versions in a long-running partnership with Pepsico (PEP). Along with the Pink Drink, Starbucks will also soon start selling a ready-to-drink Paradise Drink — the beverage launched in 2022 and is described as one in which the "flavors of pineapple and passionfruit combine with diced pineapple and creamy coconut milk" on the Starbucks website.
"Starbucks Pink Drink began as a customer-created beverage in our Starbucks stores and quickly became a fan favorite and permanent beverage on the menu," Chanda Beppu, SVP and president of global channel development at Starbucks, said in a statement. "Offering the popular, plant-based, cold Refreshers beverages in grocery channels further extends the Starbucks ready-to-drink portfolio."
The bottled versions will sell for a suggested retail price of $3.67 per 14-ounce bottle and be available in the same grocery stores as other Pepsi products.
They also join other new RTD Starbucks products such as caramel and white mocha mini-frappuccinos, a Doubleshot Energy Caramel chilled espresso and an Espresso Americano in black unsweet and milk & sugar flavors.
Here's Why The Ready-To-Drink Market Is Popping Off
Citing statistics showing that the dairy alternative market is expected to grow 11.8% annually for the next seven years, Starbucks said that many of these new products were designed with the growing demand for dairy-free drink alternatives in mind.
In general, the RTD market has been particularly strong among consumers. Encompassing everything from energy and yogurt drinks to iced tea and canned coffee, what is currently a $23 billion market is expected to grow at a CAGR rate of over 7% over the next 10 years.
The subset of spirit-based RTD beverages or, in other words, canned alcoholic cocktails is also expected to grow into a $8 billion industry in the next three years as many look for both something easy to drink on the go and a more affordable alternative to getting the beverage in-store.
"RTD success continues as both FMBs [flavored malt beverages] and spirits-based cocktails saw another year of double-digit growth," Sydney Olson, a senior food and drink analyst at Mintel, wrote in a market report. "Continuous innovation in flavor and style has enabled the flavored malt beverage segment to sustain steady growth, while spirits-based RTDs are once again shaking up the alcohol landscape and offering an affordable alternative for the cocktail experience."
