What Blender Does Starbucks Use and Should You Buy it? (2023)

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When was the last time you picked up a frappuccino from Starbucks? It’s a drink that requires coffee or creme to be blended with ice and syrups, but did you notice what blender the barista was using?

With over 35,000 stores in 80 different countries and the frappuccino as one of its most popular drinks, Starbucks does a lot of blending! And they use the same type of blender in all of their stores.

But what blender does Starbucks use? Why did they choose it? And should you buy the same blender to make smoothies at home?

Starbucks’ Blender of Choice

Starbucks uses a specially-made version of The Quiet One by Vitamix. The coffeehouse chain selected the Vitamix Quiet One for its low-volume operation, speed and durability. This makes it a customer-friendly and cost-effective choice.

The version of The Quiet One used by Starbucks has just four buttons:

1. A standard blending button
2. A smoother blend
3. Wet cold foam (a blended milk and vanilla syrup)
4. Dry cold foam (a version of button 3 but more thoroughly blended to contain less liquid)

Insert picture of control panel

Read our full breakdown in our Vitamix Quiet One review.

About The Vitamix Quiet One

The Quiet One is a type of blender manufactured by Vitamix. It can be used in the home, but it is primarily designed for commercial use and is currently used by major chains including Starbucks and Smoothie King.

Even though it’s a commercial blender you can buy one for your house if you want!

Features that make The Quiet One particularly well suited to commercial use include Vitamix’s patented noise-reduction technology and a magnetic base to reduce noise – Vitamix claim that The Quiet One is up to 4 times quieter than its competitors.

The blender also boasts a powerful 1550 Watt 3hp motor, and an air management system that helps to avoid overheating even when making several smoothies one after another.

Starbucks uses the standard capacity container that comes with The Quiet One and has a volume of 48-ounces.

The price of The Quiet One varies between retailers and, for commercial customers, prices also depend upon the quantity being ordered. Purchasing a single unit online or from a consumer retail store will cost at least $1000.

The version of The Quiet One that Starbucks uses is not available to other customers, as it has been specially adapted to have only four buttons that serve specific functions needed by Starbucks stores.

The Quiet one is also the blender that Smoothie King uses!

6 Reasons Why Starbucks Uses The Vitamix Quiet One Blender

Starbucks offers various drinks that require an element of blending – including their famous frappuccino. It’s crucial that Starbucks baristas can blend these drinks quickly, reliably, and in a manner that keeps customers happy. And that includes both the customer buying the drink and the other customers enjoying their visit to a Starbucks store.

So why did Starbucks choose The Quiet One from Vitamix? There are 6 key reasons.

Noise

Starbucks stores are a place to meet friends, relax and read a book, or perhaps get some work done without any distractions. All of that could quickly be ruined by the deafening whirr of a noisy blender!

As its name suggests, The Quiet One makes it possible for Starbucks to blend drinks without bothering customers.

Speed / Power

Starbucks needs to blend drinks quickly to avoid keeping customers waiting and to maximize the number of people that can be served per hour.

Even a small delay for each customer can add up to a lot of lost revenue when you have over 32,000 stores blending drinks every day. When it comes to Vitamix wattage, the Quiet One is the most powerful. The speed and power is one of the reasons that Vitamix blenders are so expensive.

Durability

A Starbucks store will serve tens of thousands of frappuccinos and other blended drinks every year, so any blender used in-store needs to be up to the challenge.

If a blender breaks due to poor durability, it will cost the company money to repair and may reduce the number of drinks sold in that store until the blender is back up and running.

Cost-effectiveness

When you have over 32,000 stores that each require at least one blender, the cost of purchasing, maintaining and powering your blenders really starts to add up.

For this reason, Starbucks closely monitors how much it costs to run its blenders – including the initial purchase, power consumption and maintenance – to ensure that their blenders are cost-effective for the business.

The Quiet One is actually cheaper than the blender that Jamba Juice uses by 20%.

Ease of use

Ease of use was a key factor in Starbucks choosing The Quiet One. That’s why they worked with Vitamix to create a special version of the blender that exactly matched their needs.

Other blenders or off-the-shelf models may have been cheaper or less effort to create, but designing a unique version of The Quiet One means that Starbucks baristas only have to learn to use four buttons.

Quality

If you have a bad blender, you’ll make a bad frappuccino. And that will lead to unhappy customers, poor reviews, and a lack of repeat custom.

Quality was therefore a key consideration for Starbucks when they chose The Quiet One. They knew that they were choosing a powerful blender that would create deliciously blended drinks with just the right texture.

The high quality is just one of the reasons that a Vitamix is worth the money.

Has Starbucks Always Used The Quiet One?

Starbucks has not always used The Quiet One. The coffee giant’s blender of choice used to be the Blendtec ICB3.

At 1500W, the Blendtec was similarly powered compared to the 1550W Quiet One.

It had a smaller capacity, at 32 ounces, compared to the 48-ounce capacity of The Quiet One.

However, the factor that surely persuaded Starbucks to make the switch was the reduced noise offered by The Quiet One, which enabled Starbucks to provide a quieter environment for its customers and staff.

Should You Buy The Vitamix Quiet One?

The Vitamix Quiet One is primarily a commercial blender, designed to be used in stores like Starbucks. It is therefore an expensive option, and arguably overkill when all you need to do is make a daily smoothie or two.

However, it is possible to buy The Quiet One for home use. So, if you have the budget and you want to replicate the Starbucks experience in your kitchen, there’s nothing stopping you!

The number one selling point of The Quiet One is it’s super-powerful 1550 Watt motor that runs impressively quietly. So, if you have a reason to keep the noise down at home, but you still need a blender that can reliably tackle even the toughest ingredients, The Quiet One could be well worth its hefty price tag.

Now go get