Starbucks pushes into health and wellness with new collaborations

Digital Marketing Redux // May 14, 2026 Starbucks pushes into health and wellness with new collaborations By Gabriela Barkho Starbucks If its latest partnerships are any indication, Starbucks’ goal of becoming a lifestyle destination will include a health-and-wellness flair.

Later this month, Starbucks says it is “leveling up morning routines” with the release of a new, limited-edition Starbucks Weighted Vest designed by Kahlana Barfield Brown, founder of the fashion and lifestyle brand KBB by Kahlana.

The fitness vest is said to be specifically inspired by the launch of Starbucks’ bottled Coffee & Protein drinks, which rolled out in February. The $22 vest features a dedicated pocket designed to hold RTD Starbucks Coffee & Protein drinks on the go, as the wearer enjoys their morning fitness regimen.

The vest will be available on By Kahlana’s website starting on May 21. According to Starbucks, the new vest’s design is “fueled by strong interest in weighted vests on social media” and facilitates resistance movement with the help of five pounds of customizable weights.

Alongside the vest collab, from May 21 to June 18, Starbucks is launching an in-app challenge with the fitness app Strava. The challenge invites participants to walk or run 22 minutes per day for 10 days or more, inspired by the 22 grams of protein in each RTD Starbucks Coffee & Protein bottle.

Participants who complete the challenge will be entered to win the weighted vest. Starbucks’ latest move is part of its ongoing lifestyle collaborations streak, which has included Zac Posen, Roller Rabbit and Hello Kitty, among others. This partnership strategy is also part of the company’s “Back to Starbucks” plan under CEO Brian Niccol.

While many of the previous collaborations included better-for-you offerings, the Kahlana Barfield Brown and Strava partnerships show that Starbucks is dedicated to adapting to consumers’ growing health and wellness mindset.

“People are looking to simplify their morning routines, not complicate them,” said Brian Smith, senior director of brand marketing of North American coffee partnership for Starbucks. “This partnership is about making the most of familiar morning habits.”

He added that pairing RTD Starbucks Coffee & Protein with the weighted vest “helps our customers be more intentional about how they start their day.” Starbucks is also doubling down on its healthy offerings by bringing Khloud popcorn to more shops nationwide.

To celebrate the expansion, this week Khloud and Starbucks are giving away 10,000 Khloé Kardashian’s Summer Snack Combos, which include a bag of Khloud white cheddar protein popcorn and a Grande Tropical Butterfly Refresher.

Jay Bregman, founder and CEO of Andel, said that Starbucks’ addition of fitness collaborations and high-protein menu items makes sense given the number of trends driving these moves. Bregman pointed to popular health and wellness goals and the increased interest in better food and beverage choices, especially for those on GLP-1 medications.

This broad consumer reset is affecting what and how people buy at a rate faster than most retailers can track. “And it’s not contained to food. We’re seeing it in apparel, in weddings and in gym memberships,” Bregman said.

Kassandra Socha, a senior director analyst at Gartner, previously told Modern Retail that Starbucks “has been clear that their road to win back customers is to reinvigorate their locations as destinations to visit, not just drive by.” Its partnerships with designers and other brands are a major part of that push for relevance.

“Starbucks is a daily habit for millions of people,” Bregman said. “So when those people change, Starbucks has to change with them.”