Starbucks to Begin Testing Cold Coffee: Specialty...

Starbucks to Begin Testing Cold Coffee: Specialty coffee company Starbucks Corp. plans to begin testing a new bottled cold coffee beverage in two of its Southern California stores late next month. If market testing proves successful, the beverage, developed in a joint venture with PepsiCo, could be rolled out in the summer of 1996, Chairman Howard Schultz said at an investment conference Tuesday.

While Starbucks is just beginning the test marketing of its cold coffee beverage, Schultz said that within the next 30 days the company plans a national roll-out of Frappacino, a frozen coffee drink that has been tested in California and some other markets. He said the two beverages are completely different and could easily coexist at Starbucks stores.