The Philippines' ube (pronounced oo-beh) is becoming an increasingly lucrative Filipino export as the world seeks to sweeten the earthy purple ingredient with a nutty or vanilla-like taste. Nearly half of the Philippines's ube exports, roughly 956,000 kg worth $1.5 million, went to the United States last year, double the volume imported the previous year. Starbucks has launched an iced ube coconut macchiato across its US stores and has added even more ube products in Europe, centering it in both iced and traditional vanilla lattes. The trend is also gaining momentum with cosmetics brand Huda Beauty launching a collection inspired by ube.