LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Starbucks opens on Monday the first of its new chain of bars in juices Evolution Fresh, in its greatest step so far away from the coffee, which hope to strengthen the position of the company in the sector of the healthy food, valued at about $ 50 billion.
However, the juice bars business is fragmented and is very competitive, and some analysts believe that Evolution Fresh premises could have profit margins lower than Starbucks cafes.
The company has not yet clarified how many local plans to open, and the popularity of its first store in Bellevue, Washington, a city accommodated on the outskirts of Seattle, be closely monitored.
The bar will offer fresh and bottled juices of fruits and vegetables, smoothies and food such as salads, sandwiches and soups. The menu will include options vegan and vegetarian.
The company, which has the largest chain of coffee shops in the world, bought Evolution Fresh by $ 30 million into effect in November, and the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, said then that the bars independent juice and successfully have annual sales above $ 1 million per unit.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices have gained popularity in United States, where some consumers use them as replacement of meals, and others drink them as part of “cleaning” diets.
Evolution Fresh was created in California by the founder of Naked Juice, which is now part of Pepsico. The company uses processes pasteurization without heat, says, retains most of the nutrients in their products, unlike the conventional pasteurization with heat and pressure.
