SEATTLE -- Freshly made sodas will be Starbucks' next venture into custom-made beverages.
The coffee chain will roll out its Fizzio line of fresh-made sodas "to 3,000 stores across the U.S. sunbelt, in Singapore, Korea and several cities in China this summer," president and CEO Howard Schultz said during an earnings call this past week. "We are launching the Fizzio brand with three fantastic flavors, Ginger Ale, Spiced Root Beer and Lemon Ale. We’ll be adding additional locally relevant flavors as the summer progresses."
Fizzio is an "all-natural, preservative-free alternative to sugar-filled sodas" that comes with "the theater of a custom, handcrafted beverage," he said. "I am convinced [Fizzio] will be a big hit with consumers and drive traffic and incrementality during the key afternoon day-part, just as it did in the test markets last summer."
Last summer, Fizzio was tested in select markets in the United States and Asia. The rollout will make the "cold, refreshing beverages ready for our customers as the warm weather arrives," he said. The rollout does not include packaged versions of the sodas.
Starbucks' Fizzio tests have led to rumors that the coffee chain will make a play to purchase an interest in the SodaStream home soda-making system. Thus far, Schultz has not commented the rumors.
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