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Though Labor Day signals the unofficial end of summer, fall doesn’t even officially start until September 22 – but that isn’t stopping pumpkin-spice-crazed customers from trying to ring in “Augtober” or “Sumerween” as early as they can. While pumpkin spice haters bemoan the arrival of fall-themed food and drinks as coming earlier and earlier, is that actually true?
Seven Letter Insight and Seven Letter Labs tracked the debuts of pumpkin spice lattes at the two biggest coffee chains in the U.S.: Starbucks, which first debuted the famous/infamous pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and Dunkin’, which followed suit with pumpkin-flavored offerings in 2010.
This year, Starbucks debuted their pumpkin spice lineup earlier than ever before – on August 22. Facing slowing sales and a CEO shakeup, Starbucks probably premiered the pumpkin spice to feed into the fall frenzy. Dunkin’, however, had their latest pumpkin spice debut in 8 years – coming after Starbucks’ yearly release for the first time in nearly a decade.
Still, whether you’re a pumpkin spice lover or loather, the pumpkin spice lineup dropping in August seems like a trend here to stay.
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