Starbucks Introducing New Products, More Jobs

Starbucks, the popular coffee chain, will be adding to its line of products a new energy drink. The beverage, called “Refreshers,” will be another addition to the vastly expanding market of energy drinks and, perhaps more importantly, will be the reason for the company creating more manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

The company will be putting almost 180 million dollars into a new factory in Augusta, GA, and expanding a roasting plant located in Sandy Run, SC. These new facilities will entail the need for 150 new jobs, an announcement which correlates with the company’s recent funding initiated to help create jobs. The Augusta facility will also be the first plant owned and operated by the company to produce Starbucks’ VIA instance coffee and Frappuccino ingredients.

Chief Executive Howard Schultz acknowledged that the company might have saved money by investing overseas but wanted to keep the plants in the States. In an article appearing on Reuters.com, Schultz said that the “complex world” of today makes it necessary for companies such as Starbucks “to hold [themselves] to higher standards.”

Refreshers are fruit-flavored drinks made from the extract of green, unroasted coffee and purportedly will not be as strong as the coffee drinks made with roasted beans. The company also plans to introduce more products to compete with other businesses such as Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s, as well as pushing some of its products to beyond its many coffee shops.

Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead was optimistic at Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting held in Seattle, WA. “We’re just getting started,” he promised.

Starbucks has reported record revenues and profits, despite a restructuring that lasted two years, including cost cutting and shutting down close to a thousand of its cafés worldwide.

One of the company’s most highly anticipated products is a single-cup home brewer to be called Verismo. The espresso and latte maker, expected to hit shelves for the winter holiday shopping season, is set to directly compete against the Nespresso machine, by Nestlé, which is currently a global leader, and the immensely successful Keurig brewer, by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., currently dominating the U.S. market.

Not content with selling only coffee or fruit-infused beverages, Starbucks has plans to add beer and wine to its menu at some of the company’s shops. It had previously introduced the alcoholic drinks at a Seattle café back in October 2010, but is looking to sell beer and wine at many more locations. Seattle was also near the spot – more precisely in Bellevue, WA – for the company’s new Evolution Fresh juice bar, which sells juices made with fresh fruit and vegetables and will even be serving meals.

The company has already confirmed 150 forthcoming jobs, and with new energy drinks, factories, espresso/latte machines, beer, wine, juice bars, and an abundance of products in the making, Starbucks should be offering plenty of opportunities for employment.