Earlier today, I was thinking about how Starbucks has been pretty successful in most of their endeavors. If they think up a cool new Frapp, people rush to try it — even if the concept is a little strange. It seems like the company is always creating new drinks that will make people smile, and will also make a big splash on Instagram. Their research is simply spot-on in recognizing that our generation is into bright colors and a lot of fun extras. But turns out they haven’t always released the best products. Let’s flashback to 1994, shall we?
Now, it may be hard to believe that Starbucks was around in the ’90s, but they were — they just weren’t as big of a company as they are today. The company actually got its start in 1971, when the first store was opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. In 1982, Howard Schultz joined the Starbucks team as director of retail operations and marketing.
This was a pretty big move, as Schultz was responsible for realizing that there’s a lot of culture behind coffee. It’s way more than a morning beverage. From that point on, the company grew at a pretty incredible rate.
1994 was a significant year for the company. It was the year when Starbucks offered their first drive-thru, and is also when they expanded to 425 locations. But at the same time, it was the year they tried to experiment with the Mazagran. It sounds exciting, but… it was just a product that customers weren’t ready for.
Mazagran is well-known outside of Starbucks. It’s a cold coffee drink perfect for summertime that comes from Algeria, but other countries like Portugal have their own versions. Sometimes, they even include a lemon. Freshly made, they’re likely a lot better than the bottled version Starbucks tried to sell. A blogger by the name of Starbucks Melody reported that the product came to be after Starbucks tried partnering with Pepsi.
It was described as “sparkling coffee,” and just the idea of a coffee shop working with a soda company was a mix nobody really asked for. Even though they tried so hard to sell it, customers just weren’t interested.
However, this story has a happy ending. Since Frappuccinos were starting to make it big a year later, Starbucks chose to bottle those up instead. Pepsi was all for the idea, and so was America, as bottled Frapps are still available today.
Mazagran sounds like something worth trying. Just not the version Starbucks tried to sell.
Want to try mazagran for yourself? The Hungry Traveler makes it easy with a recipe that requires ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Cheers!
