Brian Niccol: The Grab-and-Go Curator
Since taking the helm in 2024, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has emerged as an unlikely kingmaker in better-for-you packaged food. With a growing roster of brand partnerships – including Ellenos, Perfect Bar and MUSH – Niccol has once again opened the coffee chain’s grab-and-go case to entrepreneurs, turning it into one of the most powerful proving grounds. Want to put your brand in front of millions of consumers during their daily coffee run? Want the kind of trial and visibility that can change a company’s trajectory overnight (as it did for KIND and HINT)? You’re playing on Niccol’s turf. As consumers increasingly gravitate toward convenient, protein-packed snacks and meals, he’s brought Starbucks back to its cherished role as a launchpad for the next generation of better-for-you brands.