Today I heard that Starbucks would be launching its “first ever texture innovation.” That’s how Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan put it in an earnings call, according to Business Insider. To me, “texture innovation” sounds like a PR person trying to sell you on slime, but an innovation in Starbucks drinks certainly piques my interest, as the last time it attempted innovation, a bunch of people ended up with diarrhea. Alas, this innovation isn’t really an innovation. It’s just boba.
Starbucks is calling the product “Pearls,” and says it will be rolling them out next week as part of its summer menu. Baristas are already on TikTok, giving previews of the blue Refresher drinks made with raspberry popping pearls.
If this seems familiar, it’s because popping pearls are nothing new. Also known as “popping boba,” they’re widely popular across Asia, and are a common topping at frozen yogurt shops in the U.S. But more relevant to Starbucks, we’ve already seen them in the fast-food drinks space. In 2021, both Dunkin’ and Sonic released drinks with “bursting bubbles,” touting them as wild new options to add to drinks. Not only that, but Starbucks had coffee-flavored popping pearls at some locations in 2021. Fine, now the pearls are raspberry-flavored, but to position popping boba as a “texture innovation” just shows how late to the party Starbucks is, even within the narrow category of quick-service beverage companies. We’ve had that! And at Starbucks no less!
After facing weaker quarterly earnings than it planned, and forecasting more falling traffic in the future, Starbucks is trying everything it can to keep customers coming in. Cold drinks account for much of the company’s sales, and boba is booming in popularity in the U.S., so it makes sense Starbucks would try again to win some customers with it.
But like Dunkin’ and Sonic, and Starbucks itself in 2021, Starbucks isn’t calling it boba. By renaming them “pearls,” Starbucks avoids a direct association with boba tea culture, and thus, Asian culture at large. And intentional or not — like all brands, a renaming is likely just a way for it to sound new and creative — it erases the history of boba drinks, positioning Starbucks as an innovator when it’s really a follower. After all, when creating its olive oil drinks, Starbucks crowed about the culture of adding olive oil to coffee in Italy. Why no such recognition here?
“This is the first of more texture-based innovations that our customers can expect in the coming years,” said Narasimhan. Maybe next time they’ll be more forthcoming about where their ideas are coming from.
