Why Olive Oil-Infused Coffee Won't 'Transform'​ Starbucks

Source: Starbucks.com

Betting against Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz has proven over the years to be a losing bet...

He beat the shorts in the early days of the chain when critics (including yours truly) said the company's business model of opening stores across the street from one another made no sense... and that the coffee was too "burned" for the average American.

Schultz did it again after retiring the first time around – he came back to work his magic and get things back in shape.

Now, he's back again – on an interim basis – and this time he's overseeing the rollout of Starbucks' new "Oleato" coffee drinks, which amount to infusing several hot and cold coffee drinks with olive oil. They're now available in Italy, and you can expect to see them in the U.S. starting in Southern California in the spring.

That's right – olive oil in coffee, which Schultz says "is a transformational moment in the history of our company, creating a new category, a new platform, and sense of discovery …