The Feel-Good Beverage of the Year Makes an early Appearance, and Boy, Does 2020 Need It

IRVING, Texas (Aug. 20, 2020) – Is it fall yet? No. Is it time to resume normal activities? Unsure. Is it time for pumpkin spice latte yet? YES! At least at 7‑Eleven^® stores, it is. 7‑Eleven is giving coffee-lovers the chance to “fall” back in love with a seasonal favorite a little early this year. While things do – and don’t – get back to normal, 7‑Eleven is here to offer some comfort-assistance. Participating stores will be serving up Pumpkin Spice Latte and fresh-brewed pumpkin-flavored coffee as soon as September 2.

An early jump on Pumpkin Spice season … when almost everything else is up in the air? What could be better? More pumpkin stuff, of course! Pumpkin spice sandwich cookies, cream cheese filled pumpkin spice muffins, take-home pumpkin coffee to brew at home, even 7-Select™ pumpkin cheesecake snack pies, Gummi pumpkin candies and a decadent Halloween chocolate bar with red caramel, dark chocolate brownie and pumpkin spice will all hit the shelves of participating stores at the beginning of September.

Although the temperature still may be too high to throw a log on the fireplace … for many, it’s never too early to throw back a rich, creamy latte. Lots of things are uncertain as the country heads into the fall season – school, football, youth sports, Halloween trick-or-treating. But one thing IS certain, Pumpkin Spice will hit 7‑Eleven hot beverage bars weeks before fall officially begins.

The 7‑Eleven pumpkin spice latte blends warm, autumn spices including cinnamon, ginger, anise and clove with creamy pumpkin flavor. To make the seasonal launch even more of a celebration, coffee customers can create a personalized pumpkin spice beverage. A pump or two of chocolate sauce found on the hot beverage bar makes it a mocha, and International Delight pumpkin spice creamer is also available to make any hot beverage more pumpkin-y and spicy. All creamers, sweeteners, flavored syrups and toppings are available on the 7‑Eleven hot beverage bar at no extra charge.

“Pumpkin Spice is easily our most successful flavored hot beverage, and we didn’t want to make our coffee customers wait any longer – especially in 2020. People really need some feel-good moments right now and our rich Pumpkin Spice provides just that,” said 7‑Eleven senior product director for proprietary beverages Jacob Barnes. “With 7‑Eleven’s value pricing on beverages, pumpkin spice-lovers can enjoy three cups – morning, noon and night – for about the same price they’d pay for just one latte at a coffeehouse or restaurant. Add a fresh-made apple fritter to your favorite pumpkin drink for just a dollar more. That’s a rich way to start any morning.”

7‑Eleven stores’ fresh-made-daily apple fritters are one of their top-selling bakery items. A new proprietary recipe is being introduced this fall that uses yeast donut mix as a base, a flavorful, cinnamon-forward filling, sweet glaze, and apples in every bite. In fact, apples are about 25 percent of the ingredients in each fritter. The new and improved apple fritter is available for just $1 at participating locations from September 2 – November 3.

As 7‑Eleven continues to respond to the shifting pandemic, 7‑Eleven is enhancing its standards and procedures for hygiene, handwashing, sanitation, food handling and preparation in stores, including increased frequency of cleaning high-touch surfaces. All store associates are encouraged to wear masks and gloves when serving customers even where this is not required. Customers are asked to practice physical distancing in stores by standing six feet away from each other in line. They also have access to disposable gloves, tissues and sanitizer stations while shopping in stores.

To help reinforce physical distancing and safer transactions, 7‑Eleven has installed sneeze guards and visual floor markers at the front sales counter as an extra precaution. In addition, 7‑Eleven continues to offer contactless payment at participating stores at the register with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

To earn and redeem points on every purchase, customers can become 7Rewards® loyalty members by downloading the 7‑Eleven app in the Apple store or Google Play, visit the 7Rewards online mobile website at 7Rewards.com.