A Mourning Starbucks Coffee

The Food Institute last week reported an unusual twist on the co-branding concept.

Numerous retailers co-locate their operations. Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins for instance have found success in selling ice cream and donuts in the same location. But the Food Institute last week reported an unusual twist on the co-branding concept.

The association’s daily update Today In Food reported that a South Carolina funeral home will soon feature a new lobby area replete with a Coffee Corner where baristas will be selling Starbucks cappuccino and other coffee and the like to mourners and morning coffee drinkers. According to CNN affiliate WSPA, Starbucks will provide training and the equipment for the shop, which is slated to open in August.

Non-mourning patrons will have access to the coffee shop via an outside patio. The shop, which is said to be a suitable distance from the funeral home chapel, will have tables and chairs, and Wi-Fi. A Starbucks spokesperson told CNN the company recognizes there is a demand for a coffee shop in the neighborhood and is supportive as it feels the brand will be presented in an appropriate manner. In any case, it certainly is entrepreneurial.

Could this become a trend for rural areas where funeral homes are a common site but foodservice operations are farther down the road?

If it is, the 85-year old Food Institute will be following it.