Dew Drop Cafe leaves ‘Bucks for a new ‘Bou
By Eleanor Anderson
In early September, St. Kate’s announced that the coffee shop on campus, Dew Drop Lounge, would be switching from Starbucks coffee to Caribou products. An email from Mike Hara, Senior Director of Purchasing, Contracts, and University Services sent on Sep. 4 revealed that 33% of students surveyed felt that Starbucks as a company “no longer reflected the values and preferences of [the St. Kate’s] student body and staff.” This belief likely contributed to the 15% decrease in on-campus Starbucks sales during the 2024-2025 school year, which Hara also shared with the campus community.
Nationwide boycotts of Starbucks erupted out of frustration for the company’s response to employees posting anti-Israel content in regard to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The decrease in Dew Drop sales on campus indicates that this was likely an effective form of protest at least within the St. Kate’s community.
A recent survey conducted by The Wheel revealed that students prefer Starbucks’ products to Caribou, though Caribou as a company holds much higher support. Starbucks beverages are almost 20% more enjoyable to students than Caribou. This probably isn’t surprising - Starbucks is a nationwide chain with significantly higher funding than Caribou, which is more localized to the midwest. Starbucks has attracted significant social media attention over the last few years with their implementation of the Pink Drink, shaken espressos and cold foam, which likely makes their products more appealing.
When it comes to supporting the company, Caribou has a serious advantage. Over 25% of respondents felt neutral toward both Starbucks and Caribou as a company, but nearly 50% felt negatively toward Starbucks compared to 50% feeling positive toward Caribou.
This likely has to do with the negative attention Starbucks received for punishing workers who posted anti-Israel content with the Starbucks logo. Starbucks confirmed on their website that they have financial ties to its locations in the Middle East, but it has not taken an official stance on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It is worth noting that while Caribou also does not have any direct connection to the conflict, their parent company, JAB, holds a charitable fund for the Israeli government, according to Boycott the Witness, a website endorsing boycotts of companies supporting the Israeli government. Some students have shared frustration that Dew Drop Lounge is still hosting a company that indirectly supports Israel’s genocide in Palestine, though no widespread action has been taken against Caribou. View sources online at stkateswheel.org.
According to the survey, students seem to still be dissatisfied with the campus coffee shop, though there is hope for improvement as the academic year continues. Grievances often involved the low supply of highly-demanded flavors and beverages and a lack of employee training in light of the switch, but both of these problems have more to do with being early on in the year than with Caribou itself. As anyone who has started a new job in customer service has experienced, it takes time and practice to work out the kinks in a new and highly commercialized environment. Every day, workers get additional experience in making Caribou beverages rather than Starbucks. The institution learns what drinks are purchased most and how many supplies to order.
Some students noted frustration that the campus did not partner with a local company. However, having a coffee shop that is smaller than Starbucks could be viewed as a step in the right direction. There are also nearby shops off-campus such as Quixotic, JS Bean Factory and Spyhouse Coffee that are always looking for student support. Students are encouraged to continue voicing their opinion on actions of the institution they feel strongly about, and hopefully this change does not deter anyone from being caffeinated enough to make it through another academic year!
