Starbucks Corp said it plans to open a health and wellness-focused chain the coming year after its acquisition of Evolution Fresh, a California-based quality juice maker, for $30 million.

The announcements come as the world’s biggest coffee chain seeks to enhance sales by expanding into the $50 billion U.S. health and wellness category that is driving robust growth for retailers such as Whole Foods Market Inc.

The Seattle-based business has been expanding the quantity of products it sells through grocery stores as well as other retail outlets and recently extracted the word ‘coffee’ from its logo to signal its shift into broader categories.

The company’s new retail concept, planned to kick off in early-to-mid-2012, will probably be separate from Starbucks cafes and does not yet have a name.

Evolution Fresh’s goods are currently sold in Whole Foods and PCC Natural Markets shops on the west coast of the United States.