Marketing History Series: How Pumpkin Spice Became Synonymous With A “Basic” Fall
There’s a chill in the air, we’re swapping out sandals for boots and “sweater weather” is in full swing. But besides the obvious wardrobe change, there’s one other thing many American women just can’t do without during fall: the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
So when did the PSL become synonymous with the change in seasons? The origins of pumpkin spice actually go way back before coffee shops started flavoring their drinks with the spice combination.
The Spice Journey Around The World
We can trace the roots of pumpkin spice back to 1602 with the Dutch East India company and the Spice (or Maluku Islands) of Indonesia. Nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, three of the main ingredients in the pumpkin spice mix, were native to these isolated islands. With exclusive access to these spices, the Dutch brought them back to the Netherlands to make spice mixtures such as Speculaaskruiden, which they incorporated into their baked goods. This spice mixture was more complicated than the pumpkin spice of modern times, and included pepper, cardamom and ginger. Still, the warm earthiness of these ingredients were perfect for the cold weather months. As these spice combinations grew in popularity, they quickly spread all over Europe, and they moved to the New World with the first colonies.
When the first settlers arrived in the Americas in the early 17th century, they brought their traditional cuisines with them and started blending them with the crops native to the region. The pumpkin was a staple fall crop for Native Americans since before recorded history. However, it wasn’t till the Europeans arrived that pumpkins were used in dessert recipes in the Americas with the spice mixtures mentioned above.
In 1796, we had the first instance of a pumpkin pie recipe recorded in America. Then in the 1930s, McCormick, the largest spice manufacturer in the world, manufactured a pumpkin pie spice that became a popular addition to the popular fall dessert. But when did pumpkin spice move from the Thanksgiving table into the caffeinated libation that no girl in Uggs could resist?
From the Spice Islands To Starbucks
Starbucks released their first ever PSL in 2003 and it was a huge success. Funny enough, it almost never happened. It received mediocre reviews from a sample group of Starbuck execs and coffee aficionados in a taste test. But Peter Dukes, the director of Espresso America’s and product manager of the launch, refused to give up on it.
They first tested it out on 100 Starbucks in Washington DC and Vancouver. In the first week they knew they had a hit. Since then the PSL has grown to become the coffee giant's most popular seasonal drink. In 2015, the one drink alone amassed $100 million in revenue.
The Rise Of The Basics
It wasn’t until the early aughts that PSLs and their association with “being basic” became a running joke. The term originated through rap culture and is usually used to describe a type of female who likes only conventional, boring aspects of culture. By 2014, the term became commonplace. Thousands of memes were created linking the PSL to the basic girl.
While some women reacted to being called “basic” by embracing their love for the mainstream, Starbucks was not exactly thrilled with the association. In 2016, the global coffee house spent millions of dollars trying to fix their image problem.
Despite Starbucks efforts to elevate their image, their most popular seasonal drink still can’t shake its basic persona. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing for the company. The beverage is now sold in over 50 countries with 424 million sales worldwide, and the hashtag #psl has over 2m posts. It may not be the most sophisticated coffee product on the market, but it’s grown to have an enormous cult following. And despite being basic, it’s also undeniably good.
