Nearly 30 Million Starbucks® Coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs Hit U.S. Store Shelves This Week

The wait is over. Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs for the Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing system hit store shelves this week at major food, drug, mass, club, specialty, and department store retailers throughout the U.S. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is the exclusive licensed super-premium coffee brand for the Keurig® Brewer, which is produced and sold by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ:GMCR).

Mike Sponsler loads the last pallets of Starbucks(R) coffee K-Cup(R) Portion Packs onto a truck in Seattle. More than 200 trucks left five distribution centers across the U.S. en route to grocery and specialty retailers for the first-ever delivery of nearly 30 million Starbucks(R) coffee K-Cup(R) Packs. (Photo: Business Wire)

"We are excited to elevate the more than $3 billion dollar single-cup coffee category with the introduction of Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Packs,” said Jeff Hansberry, president, Channel Development for Starbucks. "We have seen tremendous success in the premium single-cup category with Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew and look forward to expanding our portfolio in this high-growth segment by offering our customers another way to enjoy a perfect cup of coffee at home.”

The premium single-cup segment is the fastest growing segment in the U.S. coffee category, according to Symphony IRI syndicated data.

"Consumer demand is through the roof for Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Packs,” said Hansberry. "Where Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew provides customers with a great cup of Starbucks coffee on-the-go, Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Packs give Keurig® owners the opportunity to enjoy that delicious, freshly-brewed cup of Starbucks® coffee with the simple touch of a button.”

Starbucks research and development and green coffee quality teams worked closely with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to ensure Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs delivered the consistent high quality coffee experience customers have come to expect from Starbucks.

"Our 40 years of expertise in sourcing and roasting the world’s finest coffee allows us to deliver the aroma and rich flavor of Starbucks® coffee in every cup,” said Paul Camera, director, research and development for Starbucks. "We know customers love the convenience and ease of using the Keurig® Brewer and are not willing to sacrifice on quality and taste. Now they don’t have to.”

Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs will be available in Breakfast Blend, Pike Place® Roast^*, House Blend, Sumatra, and French Roast. In addition, two selections of Tazo® tea will be available in K-Cup® Portion Packs: Tazo® Awake and Tazo® Zen. Starbucks® coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs will be available in 10-count and 16-count, and 54-count packs. Tazo® tea K-Cup® Portion Packs will be available in 10-count and 16-count. Starbucks K-Cup Packs will be available through starbucksstore.com and greenmountaincoffee.com on December 26, 2011, and at major food, drug, mass, club, specialty, and department store retailers throughout Canada beginning March 2012.

About Starbucks Corporation

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest-quality arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com.

* Pike Place is a registered trademark of The Pike Place Market PDA, used under license.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50053260&lang=en