Starbucks Expands Olive Oil-Infused Drink Rollout to Select DFW Stores

Olive oil in coffee? Starbucks says it’s legal.

Back in March, the global coffee empire introduced its new “Oleato” beverages in Starbucks Reserve stores in Chicago, Seattle and New York. Now, North Texas coffee fans can try olive oil-infused drinks.

The Oleato Caffé Latte uses blonde espresso, extra virgin olive oil and oat milk for a velvety latte. The Oleato Iced Shaked Espresso combines rich espresso, oat milk and extra virgin olive oil, shaken and sweetened with “notes of toffeenut.” Finally, the Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew uses Starbucks cold brew topped with olive oil-infused cold foam, which diffuses to sweeten the cold brew.
Each beverage is infused with Partanna cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, a product that has been made from pressed Southwest Sicilian olives since 1916. Starbucks stores also sells small bottles of the olive oil.

Texas is one of 11 states included in this phase of the expansion. The Starbucks store locator maps 50 stores within DFW that began selling the Oleato drinks on June 6.

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who stepped down from his third stint as CEO in March, got the idea for the Oleato after a visit to Sicily, according to The New Yorker. Schultz learned that many Sicilians routinely drink a tablespoon of olive oil in the morning “for their health.” Schultz put two and two together.

Now, North Texans will decide if olive oil has a place in their coffee or if this fad should fade quickly. It's a bit along the lines of bulletproof coffee popular with those on a keto diet. But there are skeptics, like the Cleveland Clinic, on whether we should all be dropping fat into our coffee every day.