Starbucks Opens First Juice Bar

Starbucks Corp opened the first store in its new Evolution Fresh juice bar chain on Monday, its biggest move outside of the coffee realm yet.  

Health drinks are big right now and kudos to Starbucks for trying to put their own spin on the juice bar concept.

The first shop, located in an upscale shopping area in Bellevue, Washington, is an affluent city just east of Seattle, will be watched very closely by Starbucks executives and analysts.

"Mixologists" at the new shop dispense a variety of juices - including apple, coconut water, carrot and beet - from taps to create "hand crafted" concoctions with names like "sweet burn" and "field of greens". The 8-ounce drinks sell for $4.99 and the 16-ounce drinks are priced at $7.99.  A tad bit pricey?

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices have gained in popularity in the United States with some health-conscious consumers using them as meal replacements, while others drink them as part of "cleansing" diets.

The world's biggest coffee chain bought Evolution Fresh for $30 million in cash in November to get a piece of that business.