Starbucks is trying to ensure there's plenty of PSLs as supply chain shortages continue to hammer the chain

Pumpkin spice latte psl fall menu — Starbucks launched the fall menu on August 24.
Starbucks

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks.
Baristas told Insider that ingredients have been arriving for weeks ahead of the relaunch.
Starbucks has dealt with shortages for months.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes and the rest of the fall menu launch at Starbucks today, and the chain is doing everything it can to keep the popular drink flowing.

Four Starbucks workers told Insider that their stores were already stocking up on pumpkin sauce, a key ingredient for the seasonal drink, by early August. Another said it arrived even earlier.

"We got our pumpkin and apple syrups in back in July and we got a ton of it," she told Insider. All baristas spoke to Insider on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

"We got four cases, so hopefully we won't run out in a few weeks," said a barista in the Northeast, referring to cases of pumpkin sauce. A Pennsylvania barista told Insider that her store has more pumpkin sauce than all of the other syrups combined.

One expert praised Starbucks for stocking its stores now with pumpkin sauce, at a time when many restaurants are struggling with supply chain issues.

"It's a smart move to make sure they have as much as they can of their most popular seasonal drinks," Kalinowski Equity Research CEO Mark Kalinowski told Insider.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte, known as PSL to fans, has launched earlier and earlier each season, according to an analysis by Insider's Kate Taylor. After 18 years, the PSL is still hugely popular. Starbucks says it is one of the chain's most popular seasonal drinks of all time, with more than 500 million sold. In 2020, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew outsold the PSL, with 90 million drinks sold last year as cold drinks continue to dominate.

The hype starts well before the drink even launches each year, according to Starbucks workers.

"People have been calling nonstop asking if we have it," the Pennsylvania barista said.

Starbucks has faced some recent supply chain issues and shortages. In June, the coffee chain put 25 ingredients on "temporary hold" due to supply chain issues, according to an internal company update viewed by Insider. The list of items and ingredients includes popular items like hazelnut syrup, toffee nut syrup, chai tea bags, green iced tea, and other products.

Starbucks has previously said ongoing product shortages are localized and not nationwide.

"We are experiencing temporary supply shortages of some of our products. Specific items will vary by market and store, and some stores will experience outages of various items at the same time. We apologize for the inconvenience, and are working quickly and closely with our supply chain vendors to restock items as soon as possible," a spokesperson previously told Insider in a phone call.

Reported shortages have extended to oat milk, cups, baked goods, and other items that vary by market.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

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