Why People Accused Starbucks Of Trying To Deceive Customers

A bit of coffee-fueled drama erupted across TikTok when an eagle-eyed shopper spotted something strange in the Costco coffee aisle, garnering over 50,000 likes and lots of debate. The video by user @todd.r.hawkins claimed that Nestlé was using Starbucks' iconic siren logo on its coffee bags, which meant people who thought they were buying Starbucks beans were actually buying Nestlé coffee. This discovery blew up, with many people wondering whether they'd been choosing from the ten best coffee items at Costco or falling victim to clever marketing deception.

The video shows a label on the bag of Starbucks coffee that reads: "Nestlé uses Starbucks trademark under license." This is a small detail that many shoppers could easily miss or disregard. It was branded dishonest, deceptive, and an attempt to fool customers into thinking they're buying a product that they're not. But here's where things actually get interesting: Despite everyone's negative opinions, this isn't actually a secret conspiracy between the two corporate giants. This partnership, in fact, has been out in the open for years. Back in May of 2018, Nestlé and Starbucks announced a deal that granted Nestlé the perpetual rights to market Starbucks Consumer Packaged Goods products globally, outside of Starbucks coffee shops.

So it turns out, this is a story with two plot twists. At first, the whole affair seems incredibly scandalous, but it turns out that Starbucks isn't deceiving anyone at all. This was no sneaky backdoor arrangement that a savvy TikToker has uncovered — this was a $7.15 billion licensing deal that was publicly announced. It just wasn't exciting enough to garner a lot of public interest. Because honestly, what every day person is paying attention to most of these corporate deals?

Once you think about it, it's a pretty solid business arrangement. One of them is a master of the coffee shop experience — just try ordering one of Starbucks' genius menu hacks to see how great its customer service is — and the creator of some of the world's most beloved coffee blends. Nestlé comes to the table as a powerhouse of global distribution. By working together, Starbucks products can be sold in stores like Costco much more efficiently. This deal specifically pertains to coffee that is sold outside of the Starbucks coffee shops; so if you ever find yourself grabbing a bag of Starbucks coffee from a grocery store to make at home, it's a product of this very partnership. But don't worry, it's still Starbucks coffee!