Starbucks has hailed the success of its Unicorn Frappuccino UK debut after more than 100 were sold each minute.
The viral beverage, which combines mango and peach flavours with a sour blue raspberry flavour drizzle, was available for just three days from 15 August to 17 August.
The drink sold at a rate of 111 per minute at its peak, with a total of 75,000 sold over the weekend. The coffee chain also sold a record 44,000 of the accompanying Unicorn Cake Pops across the three days.
The UK launch formed part of a wider global return for the Unicorn Frappuccino, with record sales also achieved across Starbucks’ company-operated coffeehouses in North America over the weekend.
The Unicorn Frappuccino first launched in the US on 19 April 2017 and was discontinued four days later, intended to be a limited-time menu item. Despite this, the drink quickly became a viral sensation for its bright colours and appeal across social media.
After a nine-year hiatus, the beverage made an appearance at the Coachella Music Festival earlier this year.
“Starbucks’ scale, long-term supplier relationships and cultural history mean we can respond to trends in agile ways,” said Starbucks EMEA senior manager of beverage R&D Sam Henderson. “We noticed nostalgia for the mid-2010s was on the rise, so we looked at how Starbucks could meaningfully amplify that with the Unicorn Frappuccino.
“The response we’ve had has been exceptional, including the best-performing post in the history of the Starbucks UK Instagram account.”
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