Food & Beverage
Photo: Starbucks
July 2, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com
Remember when we all thought adding a little pumpkin spice to our morning brew was the height of culinary rebellion? It turns out that was just the gateway drug. Nearly 25 years later (with at least as many blogs written by me about PSL…sigh) the coffee landscape is shifting in ways that would make a traditional barista weep, and it is all thanks to a cold foam.
Dana Pellicano, senior vice president of global product experience at Starbucks, said fruit flavors were invading the coffee giant’s menu at an unprecedented rate. Since late 2024, over 60% of the company’s new beverages have featured a fruit flavor.
‘Fruit in my coffee’
While the idea of mixing fruit and coffee might sound chaotic to purists, Pellicano said the lighter texture of cold foam is what makes these experiments work so well.
“Its light, velvety taste makes it particularly well-suited for layering flavor into coffee while allowing the coffee itself to remain the star,” Pellicano wrote in ablog.
This unique property makes cold foam an approachable way to layer complex flavors onto cold brew, iced coffee, and espresso beverages without overwhelming the drink.
Originally introduced in 2014 to replicate the handcrafted foam found on hot lattes and cappuccinos, cold foam has evolved from a simple texture upgrade into a major vehicle for customization. Today, it accounts for roughly one-third of all beverage modifications at Starbucks.
Lately, that customization has taken a decidedly fruity turn. Driven by customer experimentation, the volume of fruit-flavored cold foams has more than doubled this fiscal year, with Strawberry Cream Cold Foam skyrocketing into the chain’s top five cold foam flavors.
Looking ahead, Starbucks plans to let consumer creativity drive the menu. It’s already brought back raspberry and mango and has added banana and coconut. Customers are also choosing more unique profiles like pistachio and lavender, alongside classics such as vanilla, hazelnut and brown sugar.
“From expanding flavor choices to exploring new textures, customer creativity continues to inspire what’s next,” Pellicano said. “Cold foam has shown how a single addition can unlock new flavor possibilities.”
As customer preferences continue to shape the future of beverage innovation, one thing is certain: The days of sticking strictly to vanilla and hazelnut are officially behind us, and maybe we do have the PSL to blame. It didn’t just change our fall routines; it permanently broke the boundaries of what coffee could be and taught us to accept pumpkin in our mugs. Today, it’s the reason we don’t blink twice at fruit in our cold brew. It turns out the PSL wasn’t just a seasonal trend; it was the blueprint for the future of coffee.
About Cherryh Cansler
