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The company did not want to admit that McCafe played a role in his decision to extend Seattle's Best, a former rival who bought Starbucks in 2003, who sat quietly in the library of over 500 sites border in recent years. "Our ultimate goal is to put coffee anywhere," said Michelle Gass, Starbucks, a veteran trader who is now president of Seattle's Best. "Howard [Schultz, Starbucks CEO] has discovered, wow, said that the rough diamonds from a brand that is part of the company and not have the resources and support.." Last week announced it would sell one of its own premium brands – Seattle's Best Coffee – Burger King on the subway, the CMA and in supermarkets and cafes across the country, with 30,000 seats in total. With McDonald's is having some success with his own brand of coffee McCafe – an analyst said the company has sold nearly $ 1.5 million last year in the coffee – Starbucks could not stay aloof.

"Best Starbucks in Seattle, offers enormous growth potential," said John Glass, restaurant including Morgan Stanley. Starbucks move analysts applauded. "The best brands of Seattle will sell at prices below those of Starbucks fast food sold in their stores." It makes sense to partner with Burger King and Subway against a common enemy: McDonald's. "Apparently, saturated with Starbucks on every corner street across the country, the company must make its mix of other ways to grow. Whatever the ultimate motivation, Starbucks launched another, except in what was one of the hottest races in the affairs of a country: the struggle for shares of the class of $ 13,700,000,000 of specialty coffee.

If I used to buy Seattle's Best Burger King, why fork over a few dollars more and greater benefits for Starbucks? The company argues that, since Seattle's Best offers a different flavor profile – more accessible sweet – any brand and develop its own supporters. McCafe released last summer during a recession. And the truth is that there is probably room for multiple players, because even in the face of recession, it seems that there is demand for premium coffee. "The heavy advertising of McDonald's" McCafe may have a greater awareness of the entire coffee category and helped improve the sales figures in general, "said Greg Schroeder, an analyst at equity research Wisco. Despite the success of McDonald , with the brand, such as glass shown in a research report, sales in comparable stores, Starbucks has increased over the past two quarters, including a jump of 7% in the first quarter of this year. The strategy has a good deal of risk of cannibalization.

This relative lack of geographic overlap can reduce the threat of McDonald's. While McDonald's raid "in the iced coffee could have a major negative impact on sales of Starbucks. Iced Coffee is less traditional and more flexible hot McDonald's Lattes sold their strike in the range of $ 2.29, price $ 3.29, while frappuccinos retailer Starbucks $ 3 to $ 5, depending on glass. This summer, McDonald's launched their strike, a drink Frappuccino similar, and provide fruit smoothies competition from Starbucks even more. But like points of glass in his report Only 37% of the positions of Starbucks U.S. has a McDonald's in a store half a mile.

"What we, Seattle's Best, clearly a real coffee company," said Gass. "We have 40 years of history, and we are part of Starbucks. Does that mean that McDonald's is not a business" real coffee? Gass, just laughed. Starbucks is betting that the best coffee in Seattle further slow the pace of McDonald's. His movement, Mickey D's.

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