Starbucks to trial larger iced beverage size in South Korea

Iced beverages accounts for 76% of Starbucks Korea beverage sales in 2022 | Photo credit: Starbucks Korea

Starbucks Korea will trial the coffee chain’s largest ‘Trenta’ cup size for take-away iced beverage orders until October 2023 following increased customer demand for its cold coffee and tea products. 

Trenta, measuring 30-ounces, is Starbucks’ largest cup size and was previously only available at North America stores.  

However, to celebrate the 24th anniversary of Starbucks Korea, the coffee chain will include the cup size on its menu in the east Asian country for three of its most popular iced beverages – Cold Brew, Grapefruit Honey Black Tea and Strawberry Acai Lemonade Starbucks Refresher. 

In December 2022, Starbucks Korea announced that iced beverages accounted for 76% of beverage sales in the previous 12 months, 12% higher than in 2021. 

Beverage Team Manager Lee Jeong-hwa said the coffee chain would continue to innovate and launch new iced beverages and ensure the segment could meet increasing consumer demand for cold coffee and tea, particularly in winter months. 

Iced beverages accounted for approximately 60% of beverages sold by Starbucks Korea between November 2021 and February 2022. 

Starbucks Korea CEO Jeong-Hyun Son said launching Trenta would also meet ‘the steady requests of Korean customers’ seeking in-store experiences akin to those when visiting the US. 

Iced coffee sales in the US are increasing year-on-year and currently account for 70% of total sales in Starbucks’ domestic market. 

Starbucks will evaluate customer feedback and sales data before considering a further roll-out of the Trenta size across its more than 1,770 South Korean stores.