Starbucks began trialing its own line of carbonated sodas, called Fizzio, in June 2014.
Fizzio was part of Starbucks’ effort to broaden its menu beyond traditional coffee and tea. The drinks were handcrafted carbonated beverages rather than bottled soft drinks, and they required a special machine to add carbonation in participating stores. The initial trial reflected Starbucks’ interest in creating more cold, customizable drinks for customers.
Fizzio is easy to confuse with Starbucks’ other non-coffee beverages. Refreshers, introduced in 2012, were fruit-flavored drinks made with green coffee extract and were marketed as containing caffeine without a coffee taste. Evolution Fresh, meanwhile, was a juice company Starbucks acquired in 2011. Fizzio specifically refers to the carbonated soda line, not either of those products.
The launch was also connected to Starbucks’ broader beverage experimentation in the 2010s, when the company tested juices, teas, alcoholic drinks, and new cold beverages alongside its core coffee business.