The "high-protein" trend has finally entered the coffee market. On April 7, 2026, Starbucks China launched its new "High-Protein Latte PRO." According to Starbucks' official promotion, each cup contains 20 grams of native milk protein, meeting one-third of the daily protein requirement. The product has garnered significant attention from consumers since its launch. As of May 14, 2026, the hashtag "#StarbucksHighProteinLattePRO" on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) had accumulated 43,000 discussions. This is not the first time Starbucks has launched a high-protein coffee product globally. In September 2025, Starbucks launched a high-protein cold-brew milk foam and protein latte in the US market. Now, with the launch of the high-protein latte in the Chinese market, what observations about Chinese consumers are behind Starbucks' strategy? What localized innovations has Starbucks made to the high-protein latte to meet the needs of Chinese consumers?  Shi Qin, Category Director of Product Innovation at Starbucks China, shared insights on the theme of "Upgrading the 'Coffee' Position: When a Latte Meets 20 Grams of Protein." Giving Consumers a New "Protein Scenario" Hello everyone! I'm from Starbucks China, responsible for category management, overseeing the entire Starbucks beverage category and its product innovation. This April, Starbucks did something big. We launched our annual blockbuster product, the "High-Protein Latte PRO." As you know, lattes are basically the largest category of coffee. Starbucks, by focusing on protein, carved out a niche within the latte category: the "High-Protein Latte." This was a rare move before. This project took about a year to refine. For retail, a year is a long product innovation cycle. Today, I'll explain the background. Why did Starbucks do this? Because Starbucks hopes to lead the health trend through high-quality product innovation and bring customers high-value products and experiences. Last April, we launched the "Sugar-Free Flavored Coffee" series. This product line separates sugar and flavor, meaning you can usually order flavorful drinks without added sugar at Starbucks stores. This is a process of subtraction; people have a need to reduce the burden when drinking beverages or eating food. But subtraction is only the first step. The second thing is addition. After reducing the burden, we still hope that customers can get more added value when drinking a beverage compared to our competitors. The track we chose is more protein. Why protein? First, it's related to consumer awareness. When we ask customers what nutrients or health sectors they are interested in, almost 100% mention protein. We are very grateful for the efforts of many dairy companies over the years, making protein a household name. Second, there are still many opportunities surrounding protein. For example, everyone knows that protein is important, but many people may not be eating enough. Ask yourself, what is the structure of your breakfast? When we conducted customer research, we found that many consumers' breakfasts are nutritionally unbalanced. An adult needs at least 60 grams of protein per day, equivalent to 10-15 eggs, 250-375 grams of chicken breast, or 30-45 shrimp. However, maintaining a regular protein intake is difficult for busy office workers. There's demand, awareness, and not many companies have taken action yet, so we believe there's a market. After protein, another question I'm often asked is: why a cup of coffee? People naturally associate protein more with dairy products and other foods. But to get customers to choose a product, you need to provide a context. We've found that protein and coffee complement each other in terms of context. People drink coffee in the morning for two reasons: functionally, to wake up; emotionally, because you want a good start to the day. Coffee helps "maintain a good state," and protein itself can do the same. Scientifically speaking, protein is the core foundation for all bodily functions; your muscles, hair, and bones all need protein. Therefore, whether you get enough protein is closely related to your overall well-being throughout the day. In addition, protein is also related to dopamine and serotonin, so it's also important for your mood stability. Coffee is a powerhouse, because caffeine can instantly wake you up. Protein, on the other hand, is a powerhouse of endurance, allowing you to stay active for longer. Their synergy is greater than the sum of its parts. We chose to combine protein with coffee because we wanted to carve out a niche within the coffee market, better serve our customers, and differentiate ourselves from our competitors, resulting in this product. Finally, why Starbucks? First, Starbucks has brand recognition, which is a huge advantage. In our early consumer research, we asked consumers which brand they thought would be best suited to launch such a product. Basically, 99% of customers said Starbucks. That means you're expected to do this. Secondly, scale is crucial. Cultivating a specific environment and a dietary habit requires considerable courage. If I have very few stores, it's difficult to build that kind of mental brand image, because when customers want to make a choice, they simply can't access you. Finally, and very importantly, you need a specific scenario. Many food and beverage companies in China want to enter the high-protein market. However, aside from dairy companies, there aren't as many successful examples as we might imagine. This is because it requires a specific scenario; otherwise, people will find it strange that they would choose a high-protein product at this time. Coffee has a unique scenario, and high protein helps solidify that scenario. We give customers a reason to come to the store and choose this product. Another important point is that the ceiling for this business is very high. If we look at the US, Japan, and Europe, this market is already very densely populated, but in China, it's not yet a red ocean market. So, if we can accelerate this market, and if Starbucks can gain a first-mover advantage from the start, the opportunity for us might be even greater. "Stacking buffs" on coffee. Next, I'll explain why this product ultimately looks like this. If you've tried this product, or if you've been to the US and tried Starbucks' protein products there, you'll likely notice that the products in China and the US are different. To give Starbucks a first-mover advantage, we chose to co-create with upstream suppliers to develop a healthy and delicious high-protein solution for Chinese customers. There are a few key words here. One is "Chinese customers." Because customers in every country have different product needs, although we have many global customers, localization is crucial for success. Therefore, we must adapt to Chinese customers. Another key word is health and taste. This is because coffee is a daily staple for consumers; if it's not healthy enough, they won't repurchase. Taste is the foundation of any food or beverage; if it doesn't taste good, everything else is meaningless. We keep these key words in mind. When launching our high-protein latte in the Chinese market, we chose a high-protein approach tailored to the Chinese market. As you know, Starbucks in the US adds protein powder to their high-protein lattes. I think the US has its own considerations. Protein powder has a very strong consumer base in the US, and American consumers believe that adding protein powder to any beverage or food makes it healthier. So adding protein powder isn't a problem for them. In China, we did consider this approach, but ultimately we didn't choose it. Firstly, protein powder in China is still considered a health supplement, and establishing a strong association between it and coffee requires considerable effort. Secondly, in China, when people think of supplementing protein, the first thing that comes to mind is eggs, followed by milk. Milk is widely regarded as the best source of protein. Furthermore, Chinese consumers' demands for milk have moved beyond simply "added"; they now expect added ingredients to be natural. Thirdly, high protein content isn't enough; consumers have many additional concerns. For example, will it be too heavy? Will it be high in fat? Will the product be high in carbohydrates? Is there added sugar? These are all important considerations today. Therefore, while ensuring high protein content, we also needed to reduce other components, which involved extensive research and discussion during our product launch. Consequently, we collaborated with upstream suppliers to develop a 6.0 high-protein, lactose-free milk, incorporating numerous enhancements. First, the protein content of the milk we use is approximately twice that of regular milk. Second, we used ultrafiltration technology to reduce the proportions of fat and carbohydrates. I can confidently say that drinking a high-protein latte won't actually add any extra burden to your life; the only high-protein aspect is its protein content. Finally, we added an extra benefit: zero lactose. There are several considerations behind this. First, as everyone knows, many Chinese customers are lactose intolerant, and they might experience a strong reaction when drinking a latte in the morning, so there's a real pain point. Second, if we don't work on breaking down lactose, the protein in this product will be difficult to absorb. After these considerations, we have the High-Protein Latte PRO you see now. Making "high-protein" a platform: High-protein for Starbucks isn't just a single product, but a platform. Launched alongside the High-Protein Latte PRO are two other "protein + superfood" combinations: the "Acai Berry High-Protein Latte PRO" with acai berries and chia seeds, and the "Sea Blue Grapefruit High-Protein Latte PRO" with phycocyanin and macadamia nuts. "High-protein" gives consumers a strong health mindset; when adding other ingredients, they feel that this drink is different from the others. Therefore, high protein content provides a foundation for our future product innovation. This means that if we launch high-end products with a health-oriented positioning in the future, high protein content will be a very strong endorsement. Finally, how do we communicate with our customers? The story we tell them is very simple: "Want to be in good shape? Start with this high-protein latte." This is a mindset; besides being delicious, the real value a high-protein latte brings is that it helps you achieve a better state of mind. This is essentially the scenario everyone is talking about. Imagine, every breakfast, every workout, every long meeting—these are all scenarios where you need to be in good shape. Our high-protein latte can provide that boost. This marketing approach integrates something good into customers' daily lives, providing more scenarios for this beverage. Starbucks is also committed to bringing more hardcore innovations like the high-protein latte to customers in the future, meeting their needs every day, in every coffee scenario.