Starbucks to launch K-cups in cafes next week

[June 08, 2012]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Starbucks Corp. said Thursday that it will start selling its Keurig coffee pods in its cafes early next week.

The Seattle-based coffee giant had been selling the single-serve pods at supermarkets, drugstores and specialty retailers since last November. The company had said in March only that it would start selling the pods in Starbucks cafes later this year.

Many coffee companies are concentrating on single-serve coffee pods that consumers brew at home because it's a fast-growing business.

Keurig coffee machines are made and sold by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc.

Starbucks also plans to introduce its own single-serve coffee machine this fall. CEO Howard Schultz has said the company's new machine is different because it makes espressos and serves a different market.

[Associated Press]

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