Starbucks launched its Starbucks® Teavana™ Handcrafted Beverages and Full Leaf Tea Sachets on September 20 as a core offering in more than 6,200 Starbucks stores across the China / Asia Pacific region, including Vietnam.

“The launch of Starbucks®Teavana™ brings an entirely new tea occasion specifically developed for our customers in Asia, who increasingly want new and different tastes and experiences,” said Mr. John Culver, Group President, Starbucks Global Retail.

He added that with Starbucks® Teavana™ the company sees a tremendous opportunity to leverage its expertise in creating best-in-class retail experiences, handcrafting customized beverages, and sourcing the finest ingredients, to create a new, premium tea experience. “Just as we’ve done for coffee, this is tea re-imagined at Starbucks,” Mr. Culver said.

Fueled by innovation, the new individually handcrafted beverages are the result of an in-depth, creative exploration of flavor, culinary trends and premium ingredients by Starbucks’ industry-leading beverage innovation team, with the goal of bringing something new and unexpected to customers. The ingredients come to life as skilled baristas craft each beverage by hand and unleash a sophisticated, delicious flavor profile.

Tea is a $125 billion global industry and is the second most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. Starbucks is leveraging all of the company’s internal expertise, including knowledge in creating best-in-class retail experiences and handcrafted beverages, to create a new premium tea experience for customers.

The launch of Starbucks®Teavana™ is the first time Starbucks has launched a brand on this scale since 2008 and represents an important growth opportunity for the business.

Starbucks Vietnam is now offering three new Starbucks® Teavana™ Handcrafted Beverages: Matcha & Espresso Fusion, Black Tea with Ruby Grapefruit and Honey, and Iced Shaken Hibiscus Tea with Pomegranate Pearls.

Starbucks opened its first store in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City in 2013. Since then the coffee giant has opened 21 stores in Ho Chi Minh City and in Hanoi. A representative from Starbucks said that the company will be opening more stores in the country given its impressive business performance over recent months.