Pumpkin spice latte. Pumpkin spice candle. Pumpkin spice hand soap. Pumpkin spice cheesecake. Pumpkin spice gouda. Pumpkin spice dog treats.
Since August, big brands like Starbucks and Trader Joe’s have already been releasing products in the hopes of attracting more customers.
Why is pumpkin spice so heavily intertwined with fall? Who started the craze for the flavor that marks the end of summer? The answer is Starbucks, the largest coffeehouse chain in the world.
An Inside Look at Starbucks
With the popular pumpkin spice latte bringing up to $800 million in revenue every year, Starbucks has been the original leader in the seasonal drink game for the past two decades, according to Yahoo Finance. After a three-month stock price decrease starting in May, Starbucks needed to make waves this fall season to get back to where they were at the start of 2024.
To build hype and knowledge surrounding their release date, Starbucks took to social media to market their new (and old) products. In doing so, they are able to reach a wide audience, including junior Lily Fagelman – a frequenter at the coffee chain.
As one of the first people to try pumpkin spice on Starbuck’s release date, Fagelman learned about when they would arrive through their social media marketing.
“I saw an ad on Instagram that it was coming out in August which I thought was really early, but I was super excited,” Fagelman said.
Every year, Starbucks’s fall menu has been arriving progressively earlier. In the early 2010s, they released their fall menu in early September, which has since been slowly creeping closer to mid-August, with this year’s menu released on Aug. 22.
In addition to moving the menu’s release date up, they have also expanded the customizability of their drinks during the fall season, one of the most valued trademarks of the brand.
“Starbucks continues to take the same drink and put different flavors of syrups and cold foams on it,” Fagelman said.
“It changes it just by a little, but still people are buying it because of these new flavors.”
Through using the momentum Starbucks created surrounding fall flavors, other companies like Trader Joe’s act as a catalyst to bring pumpkin spice to a bigger audience in exchange for increased revenue.
Trader Joe’s
Like Starbucks, Trader Joe’s has also been taking fall flavors by storm to gain more revenue during the autumn season. Sophomore Julianne Myhre is a huge fan and regular customer at Trader Joe’s.
“[Trader Joe’s] is so different from other grocery stores,” Myhre said. “All of their products are so unique and different. I feel like price wise, especially compared to other grocery stores, it’s definitely better.”
In early September, they featured their 2024 fall product lineup in their newsletter “Fearless Flyer.”
Myhre’s favorite fall item is the gluten-free pumpkin pancake mix.
“I have Celiac’s disease, so I love that they have gluten-free pancake mix, and that they have specifically gluten-free pumpkin pancake mix,” she said.
Because Myhre is a regular, she doesn’t go more often when seasonal products are released.
“I think it’s just a fun bonus when they have the seasonal items,” she said. “I do get sad when they take the seasonal items away, though.”
Still, she thinks the seasonal items are better off as special editions.
“I don’t see myself eating pumpkin pancakes in July,” she said. “But I do love that they have seasonal items for each season, so I feel like I’m still enjoying all of the seasons.”
The Hype Behind Pumpkin Spice Flavors
Pumpkin spice, the fall’s most popular flavor, is loved in Hockaday community. Sophomore Porter Johnston is a huge fan of pumpkin spice, particularly of pumpkin spice chai.
“I just love the way it tastes,” Johnston said. “I’ve always loved pumpkin, but drinking pumpkin when it’s fall is just something I love.”
Some of her other favorite pumpkin flavored products include any kind of pumpkin bread and sugar-free cookies, particularly the ones from Trader Joe’s.
Johnston believes that she goes to purchase treats during fall more than any other season. However, she admits that part of her love comes from the limited time pumpkin flavored items are available.
“I don’t think I would drink pumpkin spice as often in the fall if it was available year-round,” she said. “I like the fall flavors because I just love fall and the vibe in general.”
