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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The on-demand <keyword id="2709620" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="grocery-delivery">grocery delivery</keyword> startup will launch its service in Brooklyn using bike couriers.</li><li>Goods such as fresh produce, milk, and cat litter will be delivered in under 10 minutes.</li><li>'We are in love with the model,' CEO Kağan Sümer told Insider in an exclusive interview.</li></ul><p>The red hot <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-13-biggest-online-grocery-delivery-challengers-doordash-gopuff-2021-4">on-demand grocery delivery war</a> is about to intensify with the US debut of European startup <keyword id="855786" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Gorillas">Gorillas</keyword> this week. </p><p>The ultra-fast delivery operator based in Germany told Insider that it plans to kickstart its 10-minute delivery service in select Brooklyn neighborhoods starting May 30. They'll be competing directly with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fridge-no-more-raises-15-million-15-minute-grocery-deliveries-2021-3">Fridge No More</a>, a startup that delivers groceries within 15 minutes to parts of the New York City borough. </p><p><strong><em>Read More:</em> </strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fridge-no-more-raises-15-million-15-minute-grocery-deliveries-2021-3">NYC's Fridge No More specializes in 15-minute grocery deliveries using scooters.</a></em></p><p>Unlike grocery-delivery operators <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/9-instacart-power-players-helping-the-grocery-delivery-provider-as-it-prepared-for-a-2021-ipo-2021-3">Instacart</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-enters-instacart-territory-by-expanding-beyond-food-delivery-2021-2">DoorDash</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-grocery-competes-instacart-ultrafast-food-delivery-2021-4">Uber</a>, Gorillas does not rely on gig workers to fulfill deliveries. Instead, it employs a fleet of bike couriers who deliver goods from strategically located "dark" warehouses.</p><p>The delivery fee in the US will cost $1.80 with no minimum purchase required. Consumers can order one item or a basket of goods. However<strong>,</strong> there are some weight limitations as groceries are delivered by bike. Each warehouse will hold about 2,000 to 2,500 items ranging from fresh produce and milk to cat litter. </p><p>"We are in love with the model," CEO Kağan Sümer told Insider in an exclusive interview. "So if this model is executed the right way, it is going to be transformative in a big way."</p><div type="image" title="Gorillas" height="1504" width="2000" msid="82909533" hostid="261"></div><p>Depending on the neighborhood, Gorillas' delivery choices will also include artisan foods from local businesses. In Brooklyn, Gorillas will carry bagels, ice cream, and chocolate truffles from Black Seed Bagel, OddFellows Ice Cream Co., and Fine and Raw, respectively. </p><p>On US launch day, the warehouses in Brooklyn will support the following neighborhoods: Bushwick, East Williamsburg, and parts of Downtown Brooklyn including Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens.</p><p>In the coming weeks, Gorillas said it plans to "expand quickly" to other parts of Brooklyn, as well as neighborhoods in Manhattan and Queens. </p><p>"We are also eyeing other urban markets and you can expect to see Gorillas launch in other East, Central and West Coast cities by the end of the summer," a company spokesperson told Insider. </p><p>Fridge No More also announced plans to expand beyond Brooklyn after its $15 million Series A funding round earlier this year. JOKR, which started delivering grocery and convenience store goods this year in parts of Manhattan, is another startup that ensures delivery in 15 minutes. </p><p>Gorillas, which launched in June 2020, has more than 80 warehouses in 25 cities in Germany, the Netherlands, UK, and France. It plans to expand to Italy later this month, as well.  </p><p>In Europe, Gorillas <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-hit-with-lawsuit-tied-to-advertising-spending-2021-5">competes</a> with Berlin-based Flink, Turkish delivery service Getir, and 10-minute <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dija-10-minute-grocery-delivery-startup-launches-first-operations-in-london-2021-3">delivery service Dija.  </a>Gorillas <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gorillas-unicorn-delivery-startups-ceo-and-cofounder-departs-2021-4">raised</a> $290 million in a Series B round in March led by hedge fund Coatue.</p><h2><strong>A highly contested US grocery market</strong></h2><p>Gorillas enters <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-13-biggest-online-grocery-delivery-challengers-doordash-gopuff-2021-4">a crowded US space where multiple e-commerce players</a> like <keyword id="1673867" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instacart">Instacart</keyword> and startups like <keyword id="10988599" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gopuff">Gopuff</keyword> are competing for market share. These services erupted over the past year as consumer adoption of online ordering accelerated during the pandemic.</p><p>Online grocery sales grew 54% in 2020, reaching nearly $96 billion, according to <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/2021-online-grocery-sales-will-surpass-100-billion?_ga=2.184722025.1509521258.1621265489-1698499640.1608650456&amp;_gac=1.150983108.1619224087.Cj0KCQjw4ImEBhDFARIsAGOTMj_lEuZqUAHyOyAmaDcRKHT4H4bRhmjZi2PIX1yyBo1mhhEElZey_lsaAtfIEALw_wcB_wcB">eMarketer</a>. The segment is projected to surpass $100 billion in spending this year. </p><p>Instacart is dominating the space and saw huge growth during the pandemic, according to market research firm 1010data. The firm, which analyzes consumer behavior, said Instacart saw a 323% surge in year-over-year sales in 2020.  </p><p><em><strong>Read More:</strong></em> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-13-biggest-online-grocery-delivery-challengers-doordash-gopuff-2021-4"><em>Here are the 13 companies competing for dominance of the $100 billion grocery industry.</em></a></p><p>Still, with business restrictions easing in the US, the meteoric growth of online grocery orders appears to be slowing. </p><p>Edison Trends, which tracks online grocery transactions, said e-commerce grocery spending was up 88% in February 2021, compared to February 2020. In March, overall spending increased by just 37%. </p><p>This, however, doesn't concern Sümer. While some consumers will return to "traditional" in-store shopping, Gorillas is betting more people will stick to online <keyword id="62452" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="grocery-shopping">grocery shopping</keyword> because they've grown addicted to fast delivery services. </p><p>"These people adapted, tasted this convenience, so they will want to keep on," he said.</p>

Gorillas, the ultra-fast delivery operator from Germany, plans to make its US debut in New York City this month

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In pre-17th century Europe, desserts were eaten between courses and sugar was rare. Through European colonization, the production of sugar expanded and soon became a main ingredient. </li><li>Here is a variety of traditional and signature desserts from <keyword id="46661" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Around-the-world">around the world</keyword>.</li><li>Desserts in neighboring countries have similarities, but the cultural significance makes each one unique.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><em>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.</em><br /><br /><strong>Naja Newell:</strong> Many of us know desserts to be the last guilty pleasure after a meal. But did you know that before the 17th century in Europe, what we know as desserts were used to cleanse the palate between courses? In many parts of the world, sugar was a rare and expensive ingredient. It wasn't until colonists generated and expanded the production of sugar fields through slave labor that the price of sugar was lowered. By the mid-17th century, cookbooks dedicated to desserts were published. With many different textures, colors, and flavors, here are some of the best desserts that exist around the world.<br /><br />This sweet treat got its name from the politician Eduardo Gomes, who ran for president of Brazil in the 1940s. Brigadeiros, which were inspired by Gomes' military rank, brigadier, quickly became a popular treat sold by women who supported him at rallies. He lost the election, but the bite-sized treat lives on. It is made with condensed milk, butter, and cocoa powder and covered with chocolate sprinkles.<br /><br />In Nigeria, the act of repeating a word twice is deeply embedded in the culture. It is used for clarity and emphasis. Puff puff is deep-fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar in some cases, and it can be served as both an appetizer and a <keyword id="31573" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="dessert">dessert</keyword>, savory or sweet.<br /><br />When I first think of mochi, I think of the mochi ice cream in boxes sold at Trader Joe's, but that's just the American take on the famous dessert. Mochi is actually a rice cake made from mochigome. This rice becomes glutinous when boiled and doughy when steamed. Water and air are huge factors in the transformation of mochigome to the mochi dessert that we know. Water prevents the mochi from being a sticky mess, and air contributes to the gooey stretch.<br /><br />The word tembleque is associated with the Spanish word temblar, which means to jiggle or tremble. This definitely represents the consistency of this dessert. A coconut pudding, or custard if you wish, templeque is a holiday dessert that has numerous variations throughout Latin America. But no matter where you are, it is best eaten cold.<br /><br />Legend has it that chimney cakes were invented by women in Transylvania during the Mongol invasion in 1241. In order to convince the Mongols that they would outlive them during a stalemate, the women of Transylvania came up with a plan that mixed flour with water wrapped around a wooden stick. This gave the illusion of large portions of bread, but they were in fact hollow on the inside. Starving and disappointed, the Mongols left, and chimney cakes went on to be popular in both Romania and Hungary.<br /><br />This next dessert takes us here to Little Cupcake Bakeshop in New York, home to one of my favorite American desserts. And, no, it is not apple pie. Many people wonder, is red velvet cake simply just chocolate cake with red <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> dye? And the answer is: not exactly. Though the dessert has cocoa powder as one of the ingredients, it also calls for vinegar and buttermilk. The acidic flavors mixed with the cream-cheese frosting makes for a dessert that is definitely not chocolate cake. The red velvet cake stems back to a marketing ploy by an American food-coloring company. During the Great Depression, in order to boost sales, the Adams Extract company added red food coloring to velvet cake in order to give it the bright, distinct color that we know today. So as demand for the dessert increased, so did their revenue.<br /><br />Banoffee pie is a sweet combination of bananas, toffee, and whipped cream on a thick graham-cracker crust. The word banoffee itself is actually a portmanteau from words banana and toffee. It was invented at a restaurant in Sussex, England, and became world-famous.<br /><br />Yakgwa, meaning "medicinal confection," got its name because honey was known in Korea as healthy medicine. Yakgwa is a deep-fried cookie soaked in honey for six to eight hours. The history of this dessert is tied to special occasions like royal banquets or Chuseok. Though originally enjoyed mostly by the upper class because of the honey, it is commonly eaten today and still served for Chuseok.<br /><br />Soaked in a series of three milks, evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream or whole milk, this dessert is incredibly simple yet deliciously complex. Although people are not entirely sure where the dessert originated, the main consensus is Mexico. It was Nestlé that took the tres leches cake mainstream by featuring the recipe on cans of evaporated, condensed, and cream milk. Despite the marketing scheme, tres leches developed its own cultural significance in families all across Latin America.<br /><br />Stroopwafel is a sweet, caramellike filling sandwiched between two thin waffle cookies and was invented in the Dutch city of Gouda. Gerard Kamphuisen, who is credited as the inventor, took leftover bread crumbs and mixed them with a thick syrup. Warm up the caramel by letting the stroopwafel sit on a cup of coffee or tea before consuming, and you won't be sorry.<br /><br />A Filipino word meaning "mix-mix," halo-halo is a popular dessert in the Philippines made up of shaved ice, condensed milk, and fun sweet toppings like fruit, jellies, beans, ube ice cream, or sweet custard. This sweet treat is derived from the Japanese dessert kakigori. With the mix of Japanese occupation before World War II and the ice plant built by Americans in the Philippines in 1902, it was only a matter of time before Filipinos redesigned the ice treat to make what is known today as halo-halo.<br /><br />The origins of this dessert are a bit murky, with the Catalans saying their crema Catalana preceded France's crème brûlée as well as Britain saying its trinity cream was the first. However, thanks to chef François Massialot, France has the oldest recipe in writing, dating back to 1691. Crème brûlée is a custard topped with sugar that gets torched to create a caramelized, hardened top layer.<br /><br />Unlike crème brûlée, where the curdling, or clumping, of eggs in the custard is the sign of a mishap, baked custard welcomes the slight cooking of the egg. Instead of including only the egg yolk, like most custards, baked custard includes the entire egg and can be served warm or cool, based on preference. Did you know that the correct way to eat a Belgian waffle is with your hands?<br /><br />The Belgian waffle, originally called Brussels waffle, is one of two types of waffles that originated in Belgium. Americans know the Belgian waffle as a delicious breakfast food, but not many of us are actually eating the waffle as it was intended. Belgian waffles are not to be eaten with a knife and fork, but rather with your hands. And no syrup. Maybe fruit or whipped cream at most. Maurice Vermersch was the one who changed the name from Brussels waffle to Belgian, because Americans did not know where Brussels was.<br /><br />Partly influenced by British colonial occupation, this dessert actually has health benefits. Currants are high in fiber; manganese, which helps strengthen bones; potassium; and copper, which helps with metabolism. Trinidadians eat the rolls casually as an afternoon snack or sometimes breakfast. This dessert actually is not pudding at all. Malva pudding, like many other desserts, has an unknown origin story. Some say Dutch, while others say South African. Similar to toffee pudding, its warm, spongy texture coated in a warm cream sauce is a recipe for deliciousness. And how can I forget the key ingredient? The apricot jam.<br /><br />The cake's name is derived from the liquor of the Black Forest mountain region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser. The liquor is distilled from tart cherries. Black Forest cake was invented in 1915 by confectioner Josef Keller. Some people suggest that the look of the cake is a visual pun on the traditional bollenhut worn by the women in the Black Forest.<br /><br />As popular as this dessert is in India, according to food historian and former chef Michael Krondl, it's derived from a fritter belonging to Central Asian Turkic invaders. Folklore in India says that gulab jamun was accidentally created by a Persian priest and presented to the people as a royal dessert. Although it shares similarities with the Arabic luqaimat, a staple during Ramadan, gulab jamun is unique because it's covered in a rose-water-scented syrup.<br /><br />As someone who took out loans to pay for college, the story of this next dessert really hit home. If you're searching for an easy, no-bake dessert option, look no further. The Nanaimo bar consists of three layers. The base is made up of wafer, nuts, and coconut crumbs, the middle is custard, and the top layer is chocolate ganache. The bar is named after the city of Nanaimo in southwest Canada. The earliest recording of the name "Nanaimo bar" was in 1953. Susan Mendelson popularized the dessert and commercialized it in the 1970s to help pay her tuition. She then opened up her own café, The Lazy Gourmet, selling the dessert.<br /><br />Khao niaow ma muang is most likely to have originated in northern Thailand. This traditional Thai dessert is made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, a pinch of salt, sugar, and mangoes garnished with toasted sesame seeds or split mung beans. The best time to eat this dessert is in the peak mango season in Thailand, April through June.<br /><br />Translated from Italian as "pick me up," this espresso- and alcohol-infused dessert is sure to do a bit of that and more. Pastry chef Loli Linguanotto was identified as the creator in the '70s. However, Italian food writers discovered evidence that the same ingredients were first combined and called "tirime su" by chef Mario Cosolo in the '50s. This, of course, sparked much controversy, but regardless, the origin remains in Italy.<br /><br />Baklava's origins are still debatable. Both Turkey and Greece claim ownership of the dessert. In Turkey, baklava is traditionally made with pistachios, walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts, and in 2008, the Turkish patent office registered a certificate for Antep baklava, or baklava with pistachios. And in Greece, traditionally, baklava is made with 40 filo sheets to represent the 40 days of Lent.<br /><br />Similar to the famous baklava, galaktoboureko is filled with semolina custard and covered with several layers of filo. It's soaked in a syrup, making it a sweet, light dessert that can take the shape of rolls or squares. Either way, it's undisputably delicious.<br /><br />Giving up my sugar addiction for Lent was my go-to as a child. But for Dominicans who observe Lent and/or have eaten this as a child, know that this dessert will teleport you back to your childhood.<br /><br />Habichuelas con dulce is a signature dish in the Dominican Republic during Lent. Traditionally, the treat is garnished with galletas de leche, or tiny round cookies engraved with a cross. It consists of red kidney beans, sweet potatoes, milk, cinnamon, and sometimes raisins.<br /><br />In the 18th century, monks and nuns in Lisbon had leftover yolk after using egg whites to stretch their clothing. Legend has it that the monks used this leftover yolk to create delicious desserts and potentially sold these desserts to help them in their times of financial hardship. This financial hardship eventually led the monks to selling their recipe to a bakery in the capitol of Lisbon in the 1830s. In its peak season, this bakery today makes up to 50,000 tarts a day.<br /><br />Since the time of the vikings, skyr has remained relatively unchanged. Its recipe has been passed down between women from generation to generation. What separates skyr from other yogurt is its consistency, which is thick in comparison to the yogurt you may be used to eating with fruit and granola. Skyr comes in many different flavors and has health benefits that may make you want to ditch your yogurt.<br /><br />Sopa borracha, which translates to drunk soup, will not get you drunk, nor is it a soup. It is a delicious sponge cake drenched in a liquid mixture of boiled raisins and prunes with cinnamon, sugar, rum, sherry, and lemon zest. This is a festive dessert and is served during special occasions.<br /><br />I don't think any dessert has as much controversy as the Australian lamington, or is it the New Zealand Wellington? What started out as an April Fool's joke by The Guardian has sparked much controversy over whether this famous dessert belongs to Australia or New Zealand. To clear speculation, the sponge cake covered in chocolate and coated in coconut shavings is Australian. But the controversy over whether jam should be included may not get settled anytime soon.<br /><br />Syrniki, or fried quark pancakes, date back to Russian texts from the 10th century. Quark is a dairy product that is created by warming soured milk until it curdles. It is dried and crushed, rolled in flour, and then fried to create a crispy exterior and soft interior. Top it with sour cream and fruit, and you may just have yourself a syrniki.<br /><br />Picarones are a mix of sweet potatoes and squash, flour, and salt shaped and fried with syrup on top. Enslaved African cooks who were brought to Peru by the Spaniards created this delicious treat inspired by the Spanish buñuelos.<br /><br />Though the spelling, pronunciation, and exact recipe of this dessert changes throughout the region, kanafeh is traditionally a favorite amongst people in the Middle East. Think shredded phyllo dough or semolina dough with melted cheese, cream, or nuts topped with sweet rose-water syrup.<br /><br />This stacked dessert features eight thin layers of dough with dulce de leche sandwiched between, topped with whipped Italian meringue. This dessert gets its name from alfajores, Argentinian shortbreads that the dessert resembles.<br /><br />The three colorful layers of che ba mau are the yellow mung beans, red beans, and the green agar jelly mixed with pandan, which gives the jelly a chewy taste similar to a gummy bear. Topped with crushed ice, condensed milk, and coconut milk, this dessert is not as sweet as you may think, but it is refreshing and perfect for the hot days in Vietnam.<br /><br />Though many of these desserts have unknown, dark, or legend-like histories, each place has really made it its own. Our memories associated with these desserts make each one unique to us. So go and create a new, exciting memory by trying any one of these desserts, and let us know how it was in the comments below.<br /><br />Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-dessert-looks-like-around-the-world-2020-4">Insider</a>

What signature desserts look like in 33 countries around the world.

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kate Taylor</span></p><p class="caption">Nitro Cold Brew is poured cold, straight from the tap</p></div><p></p></div></div>Starbucks is ready to win over coffee snobs with two new cold beverages this summer.  </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Tuesday, the chain begins its roll out of Nitro Cold Brew, a beverage that infuses Starbucks cold brew with nitrogen to create a cold, creamy coffee with a texture similar to a dark beer, like Guinness. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"What makes nitrogen so different than CO2 is that the bubbles are so small," Starbucks' coffee education specialist Mackenzie Karr told Business Insider. "It's kind of this foamy, creamy flavor without adding anything to it - it's super textural."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Starbucks</span></p><p class="caption">Pouring Nitro Cold Brew</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The beverage is served cold straight from the nitrogen-infusing tap, without ice. It is unsweetened, intended to highlight the natural sweetness of the drink. Karr recommends trying the beverage sans straw, to better appreciate the crema foam that tops the beverage as the micro bubbles rise. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We wanted it to be an experiential beverage," says Karr. "We wanted to highlight that our baristas are hand crafting this beverage in our stores every day."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nitro Cold Brew will be available at more than 500 Starbucks locations in major cities including Seattle, Portland, New York, Chicago, and Boston this summer. The drink is already available at Starbucks' Seattle Roastery, where it has become the second highest selling drink on the menu. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kate Taylor</span></p><p class="caption">The nitrogen bubbles rise to create a light, crema head</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the roll out, Starbucks will become the largest retailer of Nitro Cold Brew in the US. The beverage is still a foreign concept to many outside of coffee-snob circles, as the beverage was invented</span><a href="http://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/9/2/9244337/what-is-nitro-coffee"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> just four years ago</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> - though it started becoming a</span><a href="http://nypost.com/2015/06/04/summers-coolest-drink-looks-like-beer-and-tastes-like-coffee/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> menu go-to at trendy, independent coffee shops in major cities last summer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We're really reaching customers that have never experienced this before," says Karr.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The launch of Nitro Cold Brew is part of Starbucks' new "Cold Bar" menu of what the company calls "craft-and-coffee forward" beverages, which the chain is launching on May 31.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>"For over forty years we have perfected the craft of roasting and brewing the finest hot coffee and while we have always offered our customers new options in cold coffee, nothing will compare to the pace of flavor, craft and brewing innovation we will see in the next few years," Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in the statement on the new cold menu. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kate Taylor</span></p><p class="caption">Both Nitro and Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew have aesthetic aspects, perfect for the Instagram-savvy customer</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another new item on the menu is Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, which will be available at every Starbucks location across the US starting on Tuesday. To create the sweet beverage, baristas pour vanilla sweet cream (a mix of milk, c<span>ream, and vanilla syrup</span>) on top of cold brew. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The result is an Instagram-worthy concoction, as the cream floats to the top, then cascades through the beverage. In terms of flavor, it serves as a sort of gateway beverage for customers interested in cold brew, but not willing to ditch the creamy sweetness of iced lattes. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other items on the Cold Bar menu include summer favorites like traditional iced coffee and doubleshot on ice, as well as cold brew, which the chain launched nationally last summer. According to Starbucks, the two new beverages are just the beginning of the chain's innovation in cold beverages, as iced coffee increasingly becomes a year-round drink.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Starbucks</span></p><p class="caption">Starbucks' Cold Bar Menu</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The launch of Nitro Cold Brew, and the Cold Bar more broadly, represent a continuation of Starbucks' campaign to double down on coffee-snob approved offerings all year round. Beverages such as the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-new-latte-macchiato-2016-1">Flat White and the Latte Macchiato</a> similarly draw from what Starbucks calls "coffee-forward" beverages with roots in craft coffee shop culture. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The launch of cold brew in 2015 signaled that Starbucks would be expanding its appeal to coffee snobs to cold beverages. It's a move that makes sense, with sales of cold brew in the US growing 339% from 2010 to 2015, according to Mintel data.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starbucks is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-isnt-the-mcdonalds-of-coffee-2016-2">perfecting the balancing act </a>of marketing itself as an authentic, high-quality coffee chain, while simultaneously selling endless super-sweet treats, like the Frappuccino. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Some of our customers want a coffee-forward beverage," says Karr. "Some of our customers want a coffee-forward beverage, but add cream and sugar. Some of our customers want sweet, summery iced beverage." </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The roll out of Nitro Cold Brew is a new way for Starbucks to offer all of these options - and boost the chain's coffee credibility this summer. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/turkish-coffee-made-with-sand-2016-5">The best way to make Turkish coffee involves sand</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="90c2ZmMzE6zcAmxhR0StAuVDs9KNmLhR" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Starbucks is launching a gourmet drink you've never heard of - here's what you need to know

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The inventor of the <keyword id="1703279" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cronut">cronut</keyword> just released his latest creation: a frozen s'more. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Dominique Ansel's latest creation comes on the heels of his popular croissant and donut hybrid. We went to the Manhattan bakery to sample the creation for ourselves (review to come). </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Ansel’s rendition <em>encases</em> the vanilla ice cream with a chocolate wafer and marshmallow mixed with dondurma (a thick, Turkish ice cream); <em>skewers</em> the whole thing on an applewood-smoked willow branch; and then <em>torches</em> it," writes Dominique Zamora <a href="http://foodbeast.com/content/2013/07/12/bougie-ice-cream-smores-on-a-stick-are-the-latest-shtick-by-the-cronuts-dominique-ansel/#.UeBIWD7BLkk">at Foodbeast</a>. </span></p>
<p><span>According to <a href="http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/07/dominque-ansel-frozen-smore.html">Grub Street</a>, the s'more and ice cream confection costs $7. </span></p>
<p>Here's Ansel torching his new invention:</p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><p class="source">Michael Thrasher/Business Insider </p></div></div></p>
<p>And here's a close-up of the s'more: </p>
<p><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><p class="source">Michael Thrasher/Business Insider</p></div></div> </p>

The Inventor Of The Cronut Just Released A Frozen S'more 

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source">Michael Thrasher/Business Insider</p><p class="caption">A Frozen S'more from Dominique Ansel Bakery</p></div></div>Dominique Ansel, creator of the now-infamous croissant-donut hybrid the <keyword id="1703279" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cronut">Cronut</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cronut-inventors-frozen-smore-2013-7">just released his latest creation</a>: the Frozen S'more.</p>
<p>The new treat, a hybrid of vanilla custard <span>ice cream and </span>a s'more, sold out just after 2 p.m. last week and Business Insider was lucky enough to get the last one. </p>
<p>Dominique Ansel Bakery in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood was busy between when we arrived, but the majority of patrons were not there for the Frozen S'more's debut.</p>
<p>Most were still asking about the Cronut, which, without fail, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ridiculous-cronut-line-2013-7">sells out to the first 100 or so people waiting in line</a> at the bakery when it opens each morning.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Ansel's newest creation is nothing like a Cronut.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The Frozen S'more is better and more complicated. It's not surprising that the dessert costs $7 a pop, compared to $5 for the Cronut.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Cronuts are boxed, stacked and ready for purchase at the registers each morning. But that isn't possible given the nature of the Frozen S'more, a fist-sized confection made of v<span>anilla custard ice cream covered in chocolate feuilletine wafers and encased in a rectangular marshmallow.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>After you order the Frozen S'more, you wait in the rear of the bakery at a pick-up sign until Ansel himself can torch and caramelize the marshmallow's exterior. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>The Frozen S'more is then handed to customers on a branch smoked over Apple Wood chips, to give it a campfire scent.</span></span></span></p>
<p>Ansel's inspiration for the dessert came during a trip to Istanbul, where he tried dondurma, a traditional Turkish ice cream he described as "chewy." In place of the traditional ingredients of dondurma, He combined the ice cream and marshmallow, using the wafers to give it a crunch.</p>
<p>One gentleman ordered three Frozen S'mores, and asked for two to be put in a box, which Ansel advised against.</p>
<p>Frozen S'mores have to be eaten almost immediately when they are handed to you. The torch accelerates the melting of the ice cream, and results in a soft and crunchy center when you bite through the marshmallow.</p>
<p>Unlike the Cronut, which is intensely sweet and hard to stomach in its entirety, the Frozen S'more is very consumable. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The portion is perfectly satisfying from a marketing perspective — it feels worth $7, and you want to buy another before you've swallowed the last bite.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container" style="width:700px"><div class="image"><p class="source">Michael Thrasher/Business Insider </p><p class="caption">Dominique Ansel torching a Frozen S'more</p></div></div><br /></span></p>

The Inventor Of The Cronut Created A New Hybrid Dessert, And It's Even Better Than The Original

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/departuregate/">Cheapflights</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>Chances are you order a boring, plain coffee or latte in the morning. Maybe you switch it up with a Red Eye every once in a while.</p>
<p>But lots of countries have far more interesting and elaborate coffee cultures. A new <a href="http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/" target="_blank">infographic from Cheapflights</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> (</span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2587982/How-order-coffee-like-local-31-countries-CheapFlights-infographic.html" target="_blank">first posted on The Daily Mail</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">) illustrates 31 ways to drink coffee in places around the world, be it with ice cream, an egg yolk, or a slice of lemon.</span></p>
<p>It's also filled with cool facts about the 26 countries featured on the list, like how Italy has the largest number of coffee bars per capita, and how Turkish law once permitted a wife to divorce her husband for failing to keep the family ibrik (coffee pot) filled.</p>
<p>Keep reading to see how people in Austria, Turkey, Malaysia, Ireland, and other countries take their morning coffee.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/departuregate/">Cheapflights</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>

How To Order Coffee Like A Local In 26 Countries

<p>The past year's most viral ads were shocking, scary, or hilarious, but they all triggered a strong enough emotional response to inspire the viewer to share them with friends.</p>
<p>Video technology company Unruly just released a list of the most shared ads of 2013, based not upon views, but by how many times someone shared a link on <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, <keyword id="6354616" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword>, or a blog.</p>
<p><strong>5. Cornetto, "Yalin": 2.91 million shares</strong></p>
<p>There's a good chance you actually never saw this Turkish ad, a tale of teenage romance for Unilever's Cornetto ice cream brand Cornetto. Its popularity is based on its universal tale, and the catchiness of Turkish pop singer Yalin's song. RSA produced the short film: <span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>4. Kmart, "Ship My Pants": 3.05 million shares</strong></p>
<p>Draftfcb retained Kmart as a client largely due to the success of this commercial, based on a simple pun repeated over and over. People couldn't get enough of hearing an almost explicit phrase on their televisions and computer screens:</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>3. Evian, "Baby and Me": 3.32 million shares</strong></p>
<p>Evian's ads have regularly featured babies since the brand launched in 1935, and agency BETC brought them back this year. They cast babies that strongly resembled the adult actors they had recruited to make the ad's visual trick work. Beautiful babies with CGI dance moves? Instant classic:</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>2. Geico, "Hump Day": 4.03 million shares</strong></p>
<p>The beauty of this ad from The Martin Agency is that its shareability is built into it: it's an ad about Hump Day meant for Hump Day. About 67 percent of the ad's shares fell on Wednesdays throughout the year. Here's the annoying camel that got millions of tired workers through the week:</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>1. Dove, "Real Beauty Sketches": 4.24 million shares</strong></p>
<p>Ogilvy &amp; Mather's ad for Dove became a viral sensation because it addressed women insecure about their looks and gave them hope through a social experiment. A forensic artist created sketches based on a woman's self-perception and another person's perception of them. The results showed that the subjects were all being much too hard on themselves:</p>
<p></p>

The Top 5 Most Shared Ads Of 2013

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dimitris Michalakis</span></p><p class="caption">A Syrian refugee from Deir ez-Zor breastfeeds her child following their arrival on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast, September 29, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Extortion and profiteering by regional Syrian officials have created untenable conditions for thousands of Syrians living under siege.</p><p>As civilians attempt to escape the high prices of basic goods in besieged cities, officials double down by demanding fees, tolls, and bribes as a condition for exit, according to <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/borzoudaragahi/heres-how-syrias-regime-is-profiting-from-people-under-siege">a new report by Buzzfeed News.</a></p><p>Deir Ezzor is technically controlled by Syrian government forces, but it has been under siege by the Islamic State for over a year.</p><p>One family told Buzzfeed that, to escape the city, they had to pay a fee of about $1,300 per person to Syrian commanders at one checkpoint, and then repeat the process at the next.</p><p>"You have to claim that your relative is dying," Sara Khaled told Buzzfeed, "... so they feel sorry for you and give you permission to leave. But none of this is free."</p><p>The price to flee the city has more than doubled from roughly $2,000 to over $4,500 per person since last summer, according to the report. Citizens of Deir Ezzor claim that the same officials who charge the exit fees are also raising prices for basic goods internally, spurring people to flee.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-poaches-international-aid-for-syrians-1416158609">Reports that the Islamic State</a> has been stealing aid intended for Syrians may not come as a surprise, but residents of Deir Ezzor claim that the military and government have also been stealing airdropped aid shipments and then selling them at a markup. These claims corroborate similar claims accounts by </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-in-besieged-syrian-city-hungry-residents-sell-gold-for-food-2016-1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">the Associated Press in January</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prices for non-aid items have also risen dramatically as vendors in the regime-controlled areas are forced to pay bribes to bring in goods. As a result, many goods are cheaper in ISIS-controlled sections of Deir Ezzor: a pound of sugar costs 50 cents under ISIS rule compared to $10 under besieged regime control.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>YouTube/CJTF Operation Inherent Resolve</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Incredibly, an escaped citizen of Deir Ezzor's regime-controlled section told the Associated Press that his father had suggested life would be better under ISIS. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"My beard is long now, and my stomach is empty. Let [the militants] in if it is going to let food into the city," the man said, quoting his father, whom he had to leave behind.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Still, life under ISIS comes with its own brand of extortion. Coalition forces have been </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-us-led-airstrikes-obliterate-an-isis-oil-and-gas-plant-2016-2"><span style="font-weight: 400;">aggressively targeting ISIS' oil</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in order to cut off the </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-making-50-million-a-month-from-oil-sales-2015-10"><span style="font-weight: 400;">major revenue source</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, possibly contributing to </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/30/world/middleeast/predatory-islamic-state-wrings-money-from-those-it-rules.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">increased taxation efforts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p><p>Militants work to create a semblance of <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/23/islamic-state-works-to-establish-functioning-legit/">legitimate statehood, protection, and civil service</a> in order to justify taxation, but the taxes are also backed by the threat of brutality. "If I do not [pay]," an ice cream truck driver operating in Iraq told The New York Times, "they either arrest me or burn my truck.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo</span></p><p class="caption">People wait to leave the besieged town of Madaya, northwest of Damascus, Syria, where Doctors Without Borders says dozens of people have died of starvation since September.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The<span style="font-weight: 400;"> Syrian government has recently, at the </span><a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52951#.VpgWdB8rLdQ"><span style="font-weight: 400;">request of the UN</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, begun allowing aid into the besieged town of Madaya. But humanitarian organizations arrived there to find conditions </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/middleeast/syria-madaya-aid-gets-through/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">demanding much more than they could offer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p>The amount of items that have arrived on these trucks are too little and will not be enough to last long," a local committee leader in Madaya <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/madaya-aid-besieged-syrian-town-160111131328611.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">told Al Jazeera</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. "This is a joke." As of early February, residents of Madaya have once again resorted to starvation tactics: </span><a href="http://time.com/4216299/madaya-syria-humanitarian-united-nations/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">eating grass and rationing what little aid remains</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Now, the crisis threatens to extend to the embattled city of Aleppo, which is being encircled by pro-regime forces backed by Russian airstrikes. Earlier this week, the UN <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/aleppo-residents-see-deaths-everywhere-u-n-issues-aid-warning-n514491">warned</a> that 300,000 people in Aleppo may be at risk of losing access to humanitarian aid.</span></span></p><h2><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/borzoudaragahi/heres-how-syrias-regime-is-profiting-from-people-under-siege#.qwgN9NXWN">Read the full report at Buzzfeed &gt;&gt;</a></h2><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/att-spokesperson-is-former-refugee-2016-2">An AT&amp;T spokesperson and former refugee is now helping Syrian refugees in Greece</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="w4N29sMDE6SSM84VZByea-zA8L-_YMUn" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

'None of this is free': Syria's government is profiting from a 'huge extortion racket' in the areas it has besieged

<p><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images" title_caption="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg" class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52965b306da8115c6ca1daee-960/mark-zuckerberg-96.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</p><p class="caption"><keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> CEO Mark Zuckerberg</p></div></div>Facebook now makes $2 billion in revenue every quarter, and $1.8 billion of that comes from paid <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword>.</p>
<p>Yet remarkably little is known about who Facebook's biggest advertisers are. Facebook does not disclose that information to the SEC, and its executives rarely talk about how much money individual clients spend on Facebook campaigns.</p>
<p>Nielsen doesn't measure Facebook adspend. Kantar doesn't either.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-biggest-advertisers-on-facebook-2012-9">Just like last year</a>, we asked internal sources at Facebook, as well as external executives at Facebook's client companies, to tell us what they knew about Facebook's top spenders. Our friends at ComScore also supplied us with some incredibly useful information about ad impressions served in social media. We also looked at previously published reports about ad spending on Facebook.</p>
<p>Combining that data together allowed us to rank the companies by dollars spent, for a period roughly covering the last 12 months. And we got lucky with one source, who estimated adspend for several companies - but not all - on the list.</p>
<p>Our list has its flaws: Some key sources declined to cooperate with our survey, and we've doubtlessly missed some companies or gotten brand names ranked in the wrong order. We're not saying this information is exactly accurate. Rather, these are experts best guesses as to who spends what on Facebook.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, we're confident that our ranking is the best available outside of Facebook vp/global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson's office. (You can email us if you have better information that could make this list more accurate.) Budgets, where given, are estimates.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source">Samsung</p></div></div>1. Samsung: $100 million</h3>
<p>There was widespread agreement that Samsung is one of Facebook's biggest clients, if not the biggest client. Late last year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-campaign-on-facebook-2012-12">Samsung spent $10 million in a three-week period on facebook</a> just to launch its Galaxy S III phone, for instance.</p>
<h3>2. P&amp;G: $60 million</h3>
<p>Procter &amp; Gamble is the world's largest advertiser and has a massive presence on Facebook, particularly among moms. Facebook ended a "free ride" for advertisers in late 2012/early 2013 by restricting the reach of some of their free page posts, thus encouraging more paid post promotion and ad spending right at the same time that P&amp;G made a big push out of traditional media and into social.</p>
<p>P&amp;G will likely activate another huge social media campaign around Facebook for the Russian Olympics next year.</p>
<h3>3. Microsoft: $35 million</h3>
<p>The company has a longstanding pact with Facebook, which uses its Bing search engine. Facebook also acquired Microsoft's Atlas ad server this year.</p>
<h3>4. AT&amp;T</h3>
<p>Facebook is the biggest mobile app on the planet, and AT&amp;T - as both a wireless carrier and a seller of mobile devices - knows it must maintain a constant presence on it.</p>
<h3>5. Amazon: $30 million</h3>
<p>The rumor is that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-may-join-google-inside-facebooks-ad-serving-platform-2013-10">Amazon will actually begin serving ads inside Facebook's ad exchange</a>, FBX, soon. Amazon gets a lot of retail traffic from people liking or recommending purchases on Facebook.</p>
<h3>6. Verizon: $30 million</h3>
<p>Facebook has courted wireless carrier advertisers specifically with a new tool that shows <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/telecoms-on-facebook-enjoy-mobile-ad-success-2013-9">Facebook mobile ads are nine times more successful</a> than desktop media in getting people to switch carriers than other media.</p>
<h3>7. Nestle: $30 million</h3>
<p>One example of Nestle's social media investment: It <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grumpy-cat-endorsement-friskies-2013-9">sponsored Grumpy Cat</a> this year.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source">Dove</p></div></div>8. Unilever: $30 million</h3>
<p>Two of the top <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-5-most-shared-ads-of-2013-2013-11">5 most shared ads in social media in 2013</a> were from Unilever, including its "real sketches" ad for Dove and a viral Turkish ad for Cornetto ice cream.</p>
<h3>9. American Express: $25 million</h3>
<p>AmEx is a hugely social brand. Right now it's marketing <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214065/american-express-celebrates-member-since.html">a "member since" Facebook app</a> that applies a badge to your page so you can show off how long you've carried a card.</p>
<h3>10. Walmart</h3>
<p>As our <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/walmart-outperforms-other-major-retailers-in-cultivating-engaged-facebook-fans-2013-11">BI Intelligence research shows</a>, Walmart is the top retailer on Facebook for a reason.</p>
<h3>11. Coca-Cola</h3>
<p>Coke has 76 million fans on facebook, making it the most-liked brand on the planet. It did not get there by accident.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="Flickr">ASurroca on Flickr</a></p></div></div></div>12. Starbucks</h3>
<p>Starbucks is the 4th biggest brand on Facebook.</p>
<h3>13 through 16. King.com, Zynga, EA and Supercell</h3>
<p>We've lumped these game makers into the same category because they're all on Facebook for the same reason: It's a huge platform for app marketing. Gaming today is all about mobile app downloads.</p>
<h3>17. Ford</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qa-fords-scott-monty-on-social-media-2012-10">Ford has more than 80 brand pages</a> on Facebook and a huge social media team managing them.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Capital One" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52977612eab8ea9a727cd459-960/1458657_584066574974156_1637372613_n.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Capital One</p></div></div></div>18. Capital One: $20 million</h3>
<p>Capital One keeps it topical in its Facebook posts.</p>
<h3>19. eBay: $20 million</h3>
<p>Like Amazon, eBay has a huge business in capturing referred traffic from Facebook.</p>
<h3>20. AB Inbev: $15 million</h3>
<p>Bud has an uphill battle on Facebook because its pages are age restricted. But beer is "social" both off and online.</p>
<h3>21. Visa: $15 million</h3>
<p>Visa has 11 million fans on Facebook and a huge tie-in with the NFL, another brand with a huge Facebook fanbase.</p>
<h3>22. Intuit: $10 million</h3>
<p>Intuit makes tax prep and accounting software and its core consumers are small businesses. Facebook's core advertisers are small businesses, too.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source">L'Oreal</p></div></div>23. L'Oreal:  $10 million</h3>
<p>L'Oreal uses Facebook to dispense beauty tips to its brands' fans.</p>
<h3>24. Mastercard - $10 million</h3>
<p>Here for the same reason AmEx and Visa are.</p>
<h3>25. Weight Watchers $5 million</h3>
<p>The entire point of Weight Watchers is to diet with the support of a group, and thus Facebook really helps with that mission.</p>
<h3>26. State Farm $2 million</h3>
<p>State Farm has a tie-in right now with Duck Dynasty, a show with a massive social media fanbase.</p>
<h3>27. Ancestry</h3>
<p>The genealogy site tries to capture consumers where they are - on Facebook engaging with their living families.</p>
<h3>28. Dell</h3>
<p>Where do you sell computers? On the internet - which means Facebook.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source">Reuters</p></div></div>29. Macy's</h3>
<p>A core part of Macy's brand is entertainment - the Thanksgiving Day parade, the 4th of July fireworks, etc. - and the company wants to keep consumers talking about it on social media.</p>
<h3>30. Disney</h3>
<p>A huge organic fanbase, but it is augmented by paid media too.</p>
<h3>31. Victoria's Secret</h3>
<p>No prizes for guessing why people like this brand - they're making it easy for VS to reach them with new ads.</p>
<h3>32. Citi</h3>
<p>The finance category as a whole has entered paid social media with gusto. Consumers have a long lifetime value to banks, and banks need anything that can improve their rep with consumers.</p>
<h3><div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><p class="source">Steve Kovach/Business Insider</p></div></div>33. Sony</h3>
<p>Like Samsung, Sony knows that electronics brands need to be on Facebook.</p>
<h3>34. Mondelez/Kraft</h3>
<p>The snack food maker recently split into two different companies. You've probably encountered one of its viral Oreos ads on Facebook.</p>
<h3>35. Zulily</h3>
<p>Mom-focused retailer Zulily appears on our list because probably because it ramped up promotional spending prior to its IPO this year.</p>

These Are The 35 Biggest Advertisers On Facebook

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Choosing a country from the Axis of Evil might not sound like the best way to start a relaxing vacation, but surely it's one way to have an adventure you'll never forget. </p>
<p class="p1">It was US President George W. Bush who designated <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a>, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a>, and <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> as three evil nations in his State of the Union Speech in 2002. All three were accused of developing weapons of mass destruction for their "terrorist allies." (Turns out that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-and-m16-spy-agencies-knew-iraq-didnt-have-wmds-before-2003-invasion-2013-3">wasn't entirely true</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Since then, however, the Saddame Hussein regime in Iraq was overthrown, the government in Iran has softened somewhat, and North Korea has started granting visas to Americans. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Since North Korea's </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://travel.cnn.com/how-travel-north-korea-042681">visa back-flip in 2010</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, it has been possible to enjoy a vacation in all three of the countries.</span></p>
<p class="p1">So, if you've got the <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> bug and are up for some adventure, here's our guide to vacations inside the former "Axis of Evil."</p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>Iran</strong></h2>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">While <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a> is seen by some in the West as a country full of crazy fundamentalists hell-bent on America's nuclear destruction, the reality you'll see inside the country </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-truth-about-iran-2014-9">couldn't be further from the truth</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">When Bush named the country as part of the axis, it actually </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/axis/axis.html">came as a surprise to some observers</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1">The fact is, the majority of the Iranian public love Westerners - Americans in particular - making Iran one of the safest countries on our list even for female travelers. Opinion polls show the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/the-iran-we-dont-see-a-tour-of-the-country-where-people-love-americans/258166/"><span class="s1">majority of Iranians</span></a> hold a favorable opinion of Americans, making Iran second only to Israel as the <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/1/country/106/"><span class="s1">most supportive population in the Middle East</span></a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">To travel as a Westerner is to be routinely stopped on the street and welcomed by curious and generous Iranians. When I was there last summer I was constantly offered with cold drinks, invited to parties, and given free tours by locals. </p>
<p class="p1">There is a ton to see there: the massive shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, cheap ski resorts in the Alborz mountains north of the city, ancient clay-baked mosques in Kashan, the stunning central square of Isfahan, the Tatooine-like ruins of Na'in, and the ancient ruins of Persepolis near Shiraz.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While Western sanctions mean you can't use your Visa or MasterCard in the country, you won't have to take much cash. All expenses </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 1.5em;">- including transport, food, and accommodation - amounted to less than $200 for my 11-day trip last year. </span></p>
<p class="p4">Inexpensive, air conditioned buses run frequently between most cities, and a full falafel sandwich will often only set you back 25 cents. There's amazing rosewater ice cream almost everywhere in summer for about 10 cents a cone.</p>
<p class="p4">Return flights to Tehran from mainland Europe can be found for $200-to-400.</p>
<p class="p1">Check visa conditions before you book, as those who travel on British or <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">American passports</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> will have to <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">apply in advance</a></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">Iran is safe for female travelers. Iranian women dress fashionably, and the level of respect on the streets could be considered high even by Western standards. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">However, it is mandatory to wear a headscarf in public at all times. Headscarves are skimpy, colorful, and barely attached in Tehran, but in regional areas more conservative coverings are the norm.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Gay travelers should be aware that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/17/iran-persecution-gay-community-revealed">homosexual sex is punishable by death for Iranian citizens</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Deportation is probably the very best you can hope for if authorities somehow discover you. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Discretion is highly advised, and as far as we can tell, no foreigners have run into trouble with this. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Despite claims to the contrary by the firebrand former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there are </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/26/iran.features11">gay people in Iran</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Some more privileged young men in Tehran apparently </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/16/iran-gay-rights">live somewhat openly</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iranian-Americans should be aware that the country does not recognize dual citizenship and will likely treat you as an Iranian if you end up in trouble. The country's hardline judicial system currently has at least four Iranian Americans imprisoned - </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/tehran-detains-three-us-iranian-journalists-201472504942870216.html">three journalists</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and a </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/18/un-panel-raps-iran-over-imprisonment-christian-pastor-saeed-abedini/">pastor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>While many countries have representation in Tehran, US consular services are conducted through the Swiss Embassy. The UK is still in the process of opening its embassy. </span><span> </span></p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>North Korea</strong><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></h2>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">While Iran is the perfect place for backpackers to explore independently on the cheap, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> is anything but. The country is intensely secretive, and the only real way in is an organized tour which will be strictly controlled by the North Korean government. </p>
<p class="p1">While the threat of any violence is low, you should know the government has arrested <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-american-begins-sentence-of-farm-work-and-isolation-in-north-korea-reports-2014-9">at least three Americans</a> for suspected subversive activity. Also, be aware that most of the money you pay for your tour will likely end up in the hands of one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-is-as-bad-as-the-nazis-2014-3">worst human rights abusers in the world today</a>, the North Korean government.</p>
<p class="p1">The regime is accused of running Nazi-style labor camps rife with rape, murder, and starvation. Human Rights Watch recently released a video with first-hand accounts and drawings painting a horrific picture of brutal violence.</p>
<p class="p1">Yet despite this, thousands of tourists, mostly from China, travel to North Korea every year for a peek inside the clandestine country. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">One guide estimates</a> that 4,000<span> non-Chinese tourists tourists visit North Korea annually. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Touring North Korea must be one of the most uniquely bizarre travel experiences in the world. Any time you're out of your hotel, you'll be accompanied by at least two government minders who will serve as guides (two so they can keep an eye on you, and each other).</span></p>
<p class="p1">As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">Anna Fifield of The Washington Post writes</a>, "It's such a thrill to get an elusive visa and see this closed society with your own eyes, yet so maddening when you realize that you're moving through a kind of real-life 'Truman Show.'"</p>
<p class="p1">While in the country, you will see only what the North Korean government wants you to see, so the prison camps and more poverty stricken areas are likely to be off-limits. You will also be denied any chance to speak with any "normal" North Koreans not vetted by the government.</p>
<p class="p1">You can, however, say hello as if you pass North Koreans on the street and maybe even share a few beers with your guides. But that's about as far as any cultural exchange will go.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">What will perhaps strike you most in North Korea is the cult of personality surrounding its former leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Wherever possible, the magnificence of the Kims, especially KIS [Kim Il Sung], was emphasized. Busts, statues, murals, and slogans were everywhere," North Korean <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/">scholar and tourist Robert Kelly writes</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1">"At a bowling alley, the ball and pins which KIS bowled on the facility's opening were kept under glass at the entrance, surrounded by flowers, with photos and a dedicatory statement from KIS inscribed on the wall," <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/"><span>he</span> wrote</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">You will learn of Kim Il Sung's personal guidance of the construction of Pyongyang's metro, and you'll be told he wrote 18,300 books. You may even be <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d3227576-r147152589-Pyongyang_Hotel-Pyongyang.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT">advised against crumpling any newspaper</a> that has his image.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Most Western tourists to the country appear to end up in one particular hotel in the country's capital, Pyongyang. The quirky hotel, the Yanggakdo <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword>, is situated on slither of land in the <span>Taedong river. It </span>is known as the "Alcatraz of Fun" by government guides and has </span><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d644971-r91064622-Yanggakdo_Hotel-Pyongyang.html">4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Tourists are free to explore the small island on foot; however, Lonely Planet is careful to point out that you shouldn't attempt to cross the bridge under any circumstances.</p>
<p class="p1">The hotel has a karaoke lounge, a bowling alley, a casino with a foreigners-only disco, and a secret fifth floor which does not appear on the elevator buttons (But if you're brave, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQGt_E5cjg">you can go to the fourth floor and take the stairs</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Despite being 47 stories high with a revolving restaurant at the top floor, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/18/hotel-of-doom-alcatraz-of-fun-north-koreas-finest-tourist-stays/">The Washington Post reports</a> that, "like the thousand or so rooms, the restaurant is mostly empty, all of it an elaborate show of prosperity that doesn't exist."<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Americans have been able to visit the country since 2010, and rumors of restrictions on Israeli or Jewish travelers are false. Almost all travelers will require a visa, which will be issued after a trip has been booked, approved, and paid for.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Be aware that while visas are often given late they are rarely denied, and if you arrange it beforehand, you can even pick one up in 20 minutes through the North Korean embassy in London. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Tours in North Korea cost $200-$400 a day including accommodation, meals, and transport from China. Americans will probably have to pay towards the higher end of that scale<span class="s5"> </span>because the North Koreans have banned Americans from some forms of travel. A return flight from the US to China can be snatched for as low as $800. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In case of any emergency, the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang has taken charge of consular services for Canadian, American, Australian, and Nordic travelers. Also take note that certain items are banned; leaving a copy of the Bible with his contact details in a bathroom got one American tourist </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/02/jeffrey-fowle-north-korea_n_5643464.html">15 years in a North Korean prison camp</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<h3 class="p1"><strong>Iraq</strong></h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rounding out our "Axis of Evil" trifecta is </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, probably one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit. The emergence of the militant group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, has shattered the</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> stability that parts of the country had previously been enjoying. </span></p>
<p class="p1">For travelers this means most of the country - birthplace of many of the planet's oldest civilizations and most recent conflicts - is entirely off limits.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iraq is home to the remains of Babylon, the ruins of Hatra, the Tal Afar fortress, the The Great Mosque of Samarra, and the Al-Shaheed Monument and Swords of Qadisiyah in Baghdad. But to visit any of these sites now is to risk kidnapping, murder, gunfire, and terrorist attacks.</span></p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">The safer region of Kurdistan, however, still has many sites to offer. The region is semi-autonomous, and with minimal violence in recent years it has experienced massive economic development with high levels of foreign investment, infrastructure development, and tourism. Some areas are highly Westernized.</p>
<p class="p1">In Kurdistan there's the towering ancient citadel of Erbil, the mountaintop settlement of Amadiya, and the plunging gorges, waterfalls, and snow capped peaks of the Zagros Mountains.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">There's also the memorial to Saddam Hussein's gassing of the Kurds in Halabja, the Amna Suraka museum which documents Hussein's brutality, and the Sulaimani Museum, the second largest history museum in the country.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">While tourist visas to other areas of Iraq are currently suspended, the Kurds will grant a free 15-day visa on arrival to citizens of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and many EU member states.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">Return flights from Turkey to Erbil range from $300-$500. You can fly into Istanbul in Turkey from most major centers in Europe for $150-$200 return. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While it always pays to know where you are, you're at little risk of accidentally venturing outside of the Kurdish safe region - the region's borders are tightly controlled. Still, it's advisable to stay away from the Turkish border and the city of Kirkuk. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Take extreme care if you're hiking in the mountains near the Iranian border. In 2009 three American hikers wandered too close to the border and were detained and accused of spying by Iran.</p>
<p class="p1">The woman in the group was released after 14 months, but the two men weren't freed for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15000563">more than two years</a>.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>

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