Recently, taking advantage of the release of "Paddington 3," Cotti Coffee launched a Paddington-themed collaboration set and simultaneously introduced a new sea salt caramel latte series. However, after the campaign kicked off, consumers in many locations reported severe shortages of store peripherals, with cup sleeves, collaboration bags, and custom cups frequently out of stock—even leading to the awkward situation of substituting SpongeBob cups. Meanwhile, the two new products received mixed reviews: the Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte was criticized for being too sweet, while the Sea Salt Caramel Oat Latte was described as bland. This article will reconstruct the true picture of this collaboration campaign from multiple angles, including product taste, the experience of obtaining collaboration peripherals, and Cotti's internal supply issues.
Paddington Bear, the little bear from England, has accumulated a large global fanbase with his endearing appearance and warm, friendly personality. With "Paddington 3" about to premiere in the UK, a new wave of "Paddington" fever can be expected to spread worldwide soon.
Cotti Coffee decisively made the first move, officially announcing on October 28 a collaboration set with Paddington, while also launching a new sea salt caramel series featuring two drinks: the "Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte" and the "Sea Salt Caramel Oat Latte." According to Cotti, both lattes use IIAC Gold Award coffee beans and incorporate sweet sea salt caramel.
It's not hard to see that Cotti has been investing more and more in latte development lately. Its previously launched Vanilla Latte and Oat Latte were seen by consumers as alternatives to Starbucks, and by adding sea salt caramel this time, it clearly aims to continue deepening its presence in the latte category.
Based on overall feedback from Cotti fans after trying them, the two new products can only be considered mediocre. As for the "Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte," sweetness comes in only two options: full sugar and half sugar. Some customers reported that even when choosing "half sugar," it still tasted too sweet—so sweet that it almost masked the sea salt flavor. Fortunately, the caramel aroma and smooth texture did match the promotional claims.
The other drink, the "Sea Salt Caramel Oat Latte," uses oat milk with 0 sucrose and 0 lactose, targeting lactose-intolerant consumers. However, some netizens pointed out that although they knew Cotti uses OATLY oat milk, this new product tastes rather weak and watery overall, not as rich as the original Oat Latte. Those hoping for a Starbucks substitute this time may be disappointed.
From another perspective, many people made it clear that they placed orders purely for the adorable Paddington peripherals. After all, there are countless latte products in the beverage market, while Cotti is currently the only brand doing a Paddington collaboration.
According to the official campaign poster, in this collaboration, purchasing the "Sticker Single-Cup Set" gets you one "Paddington sticker"; purchasing the "Fridge Magnet Single-Cup Set" gets you one of two "Paddington fridge magnets"; and spending a bit more on the "Paddington Double-Cup Set" lets you get both the sticker and the fridge magnet. In addition, there is a series of Paddington peripherals such as paper bags, cups, and cup sleeves for fans to collect.
However, some customers who "buy the box for the pearl" rushed excitedly to Cotti stores only to find there were neither cup sleeves nor collaboration bags. What was displayed on the counter were scalper bags, making them think the materials had not yet arrived. After asking the staff, they learned that only by ordering the collaboration set could they get them. After placing the order, they saw the staff take the bag and cup sleeve out of a cabinet—making the scene feel rather like an underground rendezvous.
Other consumers were told directly by staff upon arriving at the store that the peripheral materials had already been given out. Unwilling to give up, fans assumed it was just the usual trick that single cups don't come with gifts and that one needed to buy the collaboration set, so they quickly opened their phones to order again—only to be even more disappointed to see that the customized set was also shown as sold out.
Many consumers also reported that although they had clearly bought the Paddington set, because the store lacked collaboration cups, a clever staff member substituted last time's SpongeBob cups, which was both funny and exasperating.
Only then did consumers realize that the line Cotti's official Weibo wrote at the end of the campaign notice—"*Due to inconsistent store arrival conditions, please communicate with the store before going to purchase"—was by no means just polite lip service.
In this regard, a frontline Cotti employee revealed that every time the company launches a new product or collaboration, it faces material shortages, whether ingredients or packaging. When ordering each week, either bags are out of stock or something else is missing. When asking the warehouse, the reply is that there is no ordering plan. As workers, they also don't want to be complained about by customers every day.
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
