Starbucks Bearista Cup craze is bigger than the must-have item
Starbucks unveiled the original Glass Bearista Cold Cup in November 2025 as part of its holiday merchandise line. The release of the cup turned out to be a defining moment for Starbucks' merchandise strategy.
Tressie Lieberman, global chief brand officer for Starbucks, wrote in a blog post shared exclusively with USA TODAY before publication that the Bearista cup launch "wasn't just a successful product launch, it was an inflection point."
The Glass Bearista Cold Cup, which came with a straw and was shaped like a teddy bear with a green Starbucks stocking cap on its head, was designed to hold your 20-ounce cold brew or other favorite drink. The cups sold for $29.95 and, according to Starbucks, sold out in less than a day, leading to some disappointed customers who flooded Starbucks' social media accounts about the lack of stock.
"The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast," Starbucks said in a statement last November.
Lieberman said in the blog post that customers today are looking for products and experiences that "reflect who they are and what they love," and that customers didn't just buy the Bearista cups, but "they shared it, celebrated it and made it part of the broader cultural conversation."
Starbucks is expanding how customers access their merchandise, according to Lieberman's blog post, making its online merch shop – currently only available to Starbucks Rewards members – accessible to all customers later this year ahead of the holiday season.
Lieberman says merch plays a critical role in the company's "Back to Starbucks" plan, as it can extend the "Starbucks experience beyond our coffeehouses" and create new ways for customers to engage with the brand.
The Bearista Cold Cup was so popular among fans that Starbucks has since dropped two additional versions of the item – a soccer-themed cup ahead of the World Cup in June and a Pink Bearista cup earlier this month. According to Lieberman, most of the North American inventory of the pink cups was sold out by 7 a.m. local time. There is no word on whether there will be another release of the fan-favorite cups.
The coffee chain also points to other recent collaborations, such as its "Peanuts" specialty cups and special line of "Hello Kitty" merchandise, to highlight the "power of culturally relevant design to travel globally."
Other food & beverage companies hone in on merch to connect with customers
The trend of utilizing merchandise and collaborations with popular pop culture brands appears to be spreading across the food and beverage industry.
Ahead of the 2026 Men's World Cup, beer brands such as Miller Lite and Coors Light came out with unique items sold exclusively in their online shops to attract customers.
Last month, Coors Light debuted a new Tallerboy canister, which is a limited-edition, taller-than-a-tallboy canister designed to hold and chill three full Coors Light cans at once. The canister was made available at Shop.Coorslight.com on June 11 and again on June 18. Miller Lite also got in on the World Cup fun, unveiling the Miller Time MVP Matchball in May. The ball, about 50% larger than a standard soccer ball, holds up to 12 Miller Lite cans, comes with a display stand, and is reloadable (beer not included). The ball was available for purchase on May 20 and again on June 3 exclusively on the Miller Lite website.
Trader Joe's lineup of tote bags has created a phenomenon, with Black Friday-style lines at stores when new bags are released and viral social media videos on the lengths to which people will to secure a bag.
Many popular fast food companies have created online shops for fans to buy branded merchandise. McDonald's has Golden Arches Unlimited, Chick-fil-A has Chick-fil-A Shop, Panera Bread has The Panera Shop, Whataburger has the Whatastore, among many other examples.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks Bearista Cup craze is bigger than the must-have item
Reporting by Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 9:01 AM.