Starbucks Launches Weighted Vest, Builds on Protein Push

Months after telling investors that protein has become a traffic driver, the coffee giant is diving deeper into the wellness space

Starbucks saw the weighted vest craze and said hold my coffee — literally.

The coffee purveyor is launching a limited-edition Starbucks weighted vest that holds five pounds of weights and features a pocket that fits its new Coffee & Protein beverage. 

Created in partnership with fashion brand KBB by Kahlana, the launch also includes a tie-in challenge with fitness app Strava.

“Weighted vests are having a major moment, but most weren’t designed to be both functional and fashionable,” KBB founder Kahlana Barfield Brown said. “With the Starbucks weighted vest, we wanted to take something functional and make it feel fashion-forward and intentional.”

The vests, $22, can be purchased here.

The Level Up Strava Challenge, running through June 18, invites new and existing Strava users to walk or run 22 minutes a day for 10 days or more. Those who complete the challenge will be entered to win a Starbucks weighted vest.

For Starbucks, the launch is a logical next step in a strategy that’s working. The protein push has resulted in higher traffic, Starbucks chief financial officer Catherine Smith told investors in January.

CEO Brian Niccol expanded on the initiative, pointing to an opening for “snackable” protein and fiber. Starbucks has since leaned in, adding Khloé Kardashian’s Khloud Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Protein Popcorn to the coffeehouse lineup.

On its recent Q2 call, execs said the protein lineup, including cold foam, has landed especially well with Gen Z.

And the weighted vest category? Fully caffeinated.

WalkFully, a startup backed by Martha Stewart, launched earlier this month as an alternative to traditional vests, with hip-loaded belts and packs that shift weight to the body’s center of gravity. TRX and Aion recently dropped a co-branded vest aimed at longevity training, and Omorpho continues to expand its weighted apparel line. Meanwhile, YVO, a female-founded brand that bundles its Warrior Vest with a DEXA bone-density scan, sold out its first production run and brought on marketing vet Chiara Moore as co-founder and COO.