3 Starbucks testing the Clover

That was fast. The ink is barely dry on Starbuck’s agreement to acquire Ballard’s Coffee Equipment Co., and now three $11,000 Clover machines are in testing in Seattle Starbucks stores (locations not revealed). Meanwhile, Portland-based Stumptown Coffee has decided to drop the Clover in protest. You have to wonder how Starbucks’ plans to distribute the Clover far and wide impact the “little guys” who shelled out the investment for the Clover, including Ballard’s brand new Aster Coffee Lounge, which has/had the only Clover in the neighborhood. (By the way, Aster is holding a grand opening this Friday from 6-9 p.m.) Meanwhile, Starbucks is getting lots of praise for its acquisition of the Coffee Equipment Company: this Business Week story is called, “Starbucks on the Comeback Trail with Clover.”