Coffee add-ins keep cycling through cafes and home kitchens across the U.S., from oat milk to protein powder. One of the clearest recent examples is olive oil coffee, a one-ingredient upgrade that got national attention when Starbucks introduced Oleato in 2023.
Starbucks turned olive oil coffee into a national menu story
Starbucks announced Oleato on February 21, 2023, calling it a line of drinks made with Partanna extra virgin olive oil. The company said the concept first launched in Italy, then expanded to select U.S. stores, putting a specific brand and ingredient behind a trend that had mostly circulated through celebrity interviews and social media posts.
The drinks included olive oil added directly into coffee foam or shaken beverages, according to Starbucks. Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz said in the company announcement that the idea came after seeing olive oil used daily in Sicily, giving the launch a named source and a clear origin point.
What made the upgrade notable was its simplicity. Unlike a syrup or creamer blend, Oleato centered on 1 ingredient, extra virgin olive oil, and Starbucks used that detail heavily in its rollout across reserve locations and select markets in 2023.
What shoppers in U.S. grocery aisles and cafes actually know
For most Americans, the practical version of this trend is not a specialty machine or a hard-to-find ingredient. It is a small amount of olive oil, usually extra virgin, added to brewed coffee at home, a method widely discussed after Starbucks brought the concept to stores in cities including Seattle and New York.
What is confirmed is that olive oil coffee has had a real retail footprint. Starbucks publicly sold Oleato drinks in the U.S. in 2023, but the company did not release a permanent nationwide count for every location carrying the beverages at all times, and availability changed by market.
That matters for readers because the trend has been easier to spot online than in every neighborhood cafe. A shopper in Ohio, Texas, or California could buy olive oil at any major grocery chain, but a matching coffee drink on a local menu was never confirmed as standard across all U.S. cafes.
Why olive oil became the latest coffee add-in
The broader reason is that coffee chains have been chasing premium customization for years. Starbucks executives said in 2023 that Oleato was designed to offer a new sensory experience, and that fits a larger menu strategy where chains use small ingredient changes to support higher-priced drinks.
There is also a celebrity and wellness angle, though not every health claim is settled. Public figures including Kourtney Kardashian have discussed olive oil and coffee habits in media coverage, but major chains like Starbucks framed the drink around flavor and texture rather than verified medical benefits.
For customers, that means the upgrade is straightforward but not universal. Adding 1 teaspoon of olive oil at home is possible with any bag of coffee and any bottle of extra virgin olive oil, while store versions depend on whether a chain still lists the drink, and Starbucks has continued rotating menu offerings by market and season.
