While the United States is mostly a brewing country, 80 percent of people in the United Kingdom who drink coffee use instant. The numbers are even more dramatic the further east you go. So, it stands to reason that with Starbucks seeing fewer customers thanks to a deepening recession, some innovation is in order. VIA was in development for the past 16 years and Starbucks felt now was the time to unleash the beast.
Read the rest of this Reuters story here.
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2009.
