Starbucks expands Via instant coffee line to include iced, sweetened versions

Starbucks adds iced version to Via instant coffee

SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. is getting chilly with its Via instant coffee as it tries to capture more of the $23 billion global instant coffee market.

The coffee giant announced Tuesday that it is adding iced coffee to the line it launched in the U.S. and Canada last fall.

Starbucks said this is the company’s first new addition to the line. The product, which comes sweetened and dissolves in cold water, will be sold at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada. A five-pack of the single-use packets will be sold for $5.95.

Starbucks is trying to grab more coffee drinkers — wherever they are — to help boost business as it runs out of room to expand its coffee chain.

After years of over-expansion, the company was forced to close hundreds of cafes and lay off thousands of workers. Starbucks is now putting a heavier emphasis on its other products to help drive growth.

Starbucks launched Via, which it quickly expanded to sell in other mass merchants and in stores internationally. It built a strong consumer products segment that sells everything from Starbucks ice cream to canned energy drinks and added products like flavored coffee in grocery stores.

The company also is expanding its second brand called Seattle’s Best and opening more overseas stores as it tries to boost results.