What the Luckin coconut milk drink failure says about american coffee culture

Luckin discontinued its Light Coconut Milk series after weak demand, destroying unused materials in stores. The Raw Coconut Light Milk Tea drew comparisons to Assam, and the Raw Coconut Americano was mocked as dishwashing water. The brand had already moved to mini-sized packaging to cut waste, but sales stayed flat, so the line was cut entirely.

The pullback reflects a broader pattern in american coffee culture, where chain brands flood menus with novelty drinks every week or two. That pace strains store staff who must memorize more recipes and manage more ingredients. When a drink neither sells nor pleases, removal is the simplest fix.

Luckin has always been known for its frequent new product launches, but not every launch wins over the market. The Light Coconut Milk series has received a lukewarm response since its debut—the Raw Coconut Light Milk Tea was criticized as inferior to Assam, and the Raw Coconut Americano was even jokingly called dishwashing water. To reduce waste, the brand switched the ingredients to mini-sized packaging, but with little effect. In the end, both products were completely discontinued, with employees busy destroying inventory while consumers were happy to see them go. Front Street Coffee takes you through the rise and fall of this product trial.

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Among chain beverage brands, Luckin has consistently been at the forefront in terms of launch frequency. Almost every week or two, dazzling new products appear on the menu, greatly catering to consumers who chase novelty.

However, an overly rich product line also places an extra burden on store employees—the recipes to memorize and the materials to manage both increase accordingly. So whenever Luckin announces a full discontinuation of a product, store staff across the country are relieved to have a few fewer recipes to memorize while mercilessly dumping the remaining materials into the three-compartment sink.

Not long ago, Luckin ordered a sweeping cut of the Light Coconut Milk series, requiring all stores to destroy any unused materials from the series after closing.

The milky white liquid was poured straight down the drain, and the sink was piled with crushed and deformed empty packaging boxes. Such waste disposal scenes are already commonplace for Luckin employees, and even onlooking netizens are no longer surprised. However, when some noticed the mini-sized Light Coconut Milk placed on the counter, they felt quite unfamiliar and even wondered whether they had ever tried a drink made with this ingredient.

In response, Luckin employees said it was perfectly normal for consumers not to remember the Light Coconut Milk series, because the series barely caused any stir after its launch.

Last year, Luckin successfully entered the tea beverage track with its Light Milk Tea, attracting a great deal of attention. The brand immediately struck while the iron was hot and launched the Raw Coconut Light Milk Tea in mid-October.

Unfortunately, this drink, which blended Luckin's signature "raw coconut" element with a milk tea texture, did not win fan追捧 like the previous hit Light Jasmine. Many who tried it bluntly said it was "not even as good as Assam," and its repeat purchase performance was only average compared to other members of the Light Milk series.

After the newbie protection period passed, the Raw Coconut Light Milk Tea's sales remained flat, which meant materials would keep piling up. To speed up ingredient consumption, Luckin launched the Raw Coconut Americano in mid-November, trying to leverage the popularity of its signature Raw Coconut Latte for another push. But fans who eagerly tried it were greatly disappointed and complained that it was "Raw Coconut Latte dishwashing water." Once again, the Light Coconut Milk drinks failed to win consumers' hearts.

Many employees reported that the Light Coconut Milk series may have lacked话题度 because it was not co-branded with a popular IP. Once the hype faded, and with the drinks' taste failing to gain most consumers' approval, repeat purchases were naturally not optimistic, and sales gradually declined. Some stores could only sell two or three cups a day, and the opened Light Coconut Milk expired before it could be used up, so it could only be poured out and reported as loss.

To reduce ingredient waste, Luckin switched all Light Coconut Milk from the original 1-kilogram packaging to 200-gram mini packs to lower store losses. But employees revealed that the brand's continuous co-branding campaigns and winter warm drinks made the Light Coconut Milk series even more forgotten by users.

Now, these two drinks that were unpopular from the start have been completely cut, and both consumers and Luckin workers are happy to see it. Some commented, "The Raw Coconut Americano is gone? No problem then," while others painfully yet happily cleared inventory, sighing that they finally no longer had to report losses for these unsellable ingredients.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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