Luxury brand Gucci has recently been making frequent moves in the coffee space. First, it attracted attention by handing out free coffee from an Ancora red coffee truck in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities, but drew complaints over long queues, limited supply, and controversial flavors. Gucci then adjusted its strategy, partnering at once with three well-known domestic coffee brands—Grid Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee, and %Arabica—to open week-long pop-up coffee shops in four cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. This collaboration model—limited in "stores, duration, and products"—has drawn consumers to queue up and check in, and has also led people to speculate whether Gucci is "casting a wide net" to screen for long-term partners, or merely driving traffic to its Ancora series exhibition. This article takes you through this cross-industry experiment between luxury and coffee. [more…]

Luxury brand Gucci recently teamed up with Blue Bottle Coffee, %Arabica, and Grid Coffee to launch limited-edition pop-up coffee shops in four cities. Among them, the Beijing stop's collaboration with Grid Coffee produced the "Single-Origin Salted Mocha" and "Single-Origin Salted Chocolate," which sparked widespread discussion both inside and outside the industry. An independent coffee shop owner in Beijing publicly stated that the salted mocha among Gucci's limited-edition drinks is suspected of copying her signature product, which she developed in 2020 and officially launched in 2022 with Bingboke as its base. The incident quickly escalated, with voices supporting originality and those believing it was purely a creative coincidence rising and falling in turn. This article will sort out the sequence of events, present multiple perspectives, and explore the copyright dilemmas and market implications of creative coffee drinks. [more…]

Cotti Coffee recently launched its Cloud Top Mousse series nationwide, with all three new drinks priced at 9.9 yuan. The series uses IIAC Gold Award coffee beans and features three flavors: Opera Latte, Sea Blue Coconut Latte, and Matcha Latte. The brand also collaborated with Gucci collaborating illustrator Jayde Fish to launch co-branded merchandise and held review campaigns on social media. However, after launch, many consumers reported that the mousse topping portion was on the small side, and some even questioned whether the coffee liquid was missing. In response to these issues, store staff gave a response. This article will comprehensively sort through the new product information, flavor characteristics, and market feedback, and attach Front Street Coffee's professional perspective. [more…]

Luxury brands venturing into coffee is nothing new—LV, Dior, Gucci, and others have all launched themed coffee events. Recently, Burberry opened a sapphire-blue pop-up coffee truck downstairs from the Rosewood Beijing, drawing plenty of passersby and aesthetics-driven visitors to stop and take photos. However, after one curious consumer paid a visit, they discovered that the coffee here, averaging 60 yuan a cup, was actually made with Nestlé capsules—and the latte they ordered turned out to be an Americano when it arrived. Even more surprising, the handwritten menu had misspelled the English word for Americano. Is this cup, jokingly called "90% emotional value" by netizens, actually worth paying for? Let's find out. [more…]

What kind of sparks fly when high-end jewelry meets specialty coffee? Italian luxury brand Bvlgari recently teamed up with Singaporean coffee brand Bacha Coffee to open an in-store pop-up shop, an event that will run until the end of January next year. This is not Bvlgari's first foray into the coffee arena; it previously opened Il Café, a coffee restaurant, in Osaka and has also attempted a co-branded collaboration with Manner Coffee. Behind luxury brands' frequent moves into the coffee market is the rapid rise of coffee culture and the growing ranks of young consumers. This article will walk you through the specific details of this collaboration, review Bvlgari's history of coffee crossovers, and analyze why luxury brands are increasingly turning their attention to the coffee sector. For more specialty coffee bean news, follow Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's Raw Cheese Latte, launched in collaboration with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, broke new product first-sale records the moment it hit the market, selling 1.31 million cups in a single day, surpassing 6.59 million cups in total sales within 7 days, and dominating discussions across major social platforms. This coffee, marketed for its cheesy aroma, stands clearly apart from the Raw Coconut Latte and Thick Milk Latte, and has also sparked both celebration and controversy among JoJo fans. From product development to IP selection and the pacing of its marketing rollout, Luckin's collaboration can be considered a textbook example of creating a hit. This article will offer a comprehensive analysis of why this Raw Cheese Latte went viral, from the perspectives of sales data, flavor innovation, fan feedback, and ACG marketing trends. [more…]

Starbucks has long been known as a "cup factory," releasing themed cup designs for every season, holiday, or regional specialty, and many of its standout or limited-edition cups are eagerly sought after by fans. Recently, Starbucks' Spring Mountain pastoral series mugs, a collaboration with a Yunnan peasant painter, went viral online. The retro spring color palette, combined with the buzz around "Spring Mountain studies," made the cup attract attention as soon as preview images surfaced. However, after the official launch, a series of issues emerged one after another: each store was allocated only one cup, some stores required customers to buy additional items to qualify, and secondhand prices tripled overnight. The last-minute changes to purchasing rules also left many consumers disappointed, raising doubts about Starbucks' sincerity. [more…]

International fast-fashion giant ZARA has announced that its new Asia-Pacific flagship store will open next year on Nanjing Xinjiekou, covering an area of over 2,500 square meters, and will for the first time incorporate a coffee business into the store. This move is not an isolated case. In recent years, luxury brands such as Tiffany, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton have all dipped their toes into coffee marketing, attempting to close the distance with consumers through immersive experiences. Is coffee a powerful tool for enhancing brand loyalty, or has it merely become a gimmick for photo opportunities? Consumers have mixed opinions on this. This article will outline ZARA's coffee layout, review cases of major brands venturing into coffee, and explore the business logic and market feedback behind this trend. [more…]

After Luckin Coffee's co-branded sauce-flavored latte with Moutai went viral, a number of solid beverage products with highly similar packaging styles quickly emerged on the market. These products not only have similar names, but also almost copy the red background with blue-and-white diagonal bar composition of the original packaging. Some lawyers pointed out that using a similar trademark on the same or similar goods without the permission of the trademark registrant, where it is likely to cause confusion, constitutes infringement of the exclusive right to use a registered trademark. However, some manufacturers claim that the sauce-flavored latte category cannot be registered and that the color scheme is not protected by copyright, which has triggered discussion about the boundary between imitation and infringement. [more…]

Once ubiquitous on street corners, newspaper kiosks are gradually fading from the urban landscape—some have shut down, while others have found new life through transformation. Recently, McDonald's in Guangzhou converted a newspaper kiosk into a window-service outlet, selling coffee, breakfast, and ice cream, drawing considerable attention. This is not the first time a chain brand has experimented with kiosk conversions—KFC launched its KCOFFEE newspaper kiosk as early as last year. From luxury brands to China Post, the humble newspaper kiosk is being given an entirely new commercial role. Can this "newsstand + food and beverage" model sustain itself long-term, and can it revive people's urban memories? Let's take a look at the stories behind this wave of kiosk transformations. [more…]

Recently, the "tear-the-cup" lucky draw campaign launched by Chagee in Malaysia has become mired in controversy. A video exposed that store employees were suspected of screening prize cards inside cups in advance and keeping the grand prizes aside, triggering strong consumer doubts about the fairness of the campaign. The brand initially demanded that netizens delete their posts through legal means, then responded successively on November 18 and 19 and issued an apology statement, admitting that the employees' conduct did not conform to corporate principles and announcing that starting in December it would switch to QR codes instead of paper lucky draw slips. Although the brand promised to make rectifications, public doubts about its handling approach and transparency have still not been completely dispelled. [more…]

It is no longer uncommon for luxury brands to venture into the coffee business. When Taikoo Li Qiantan in Shanghai opened last year, it was announced that the first Dior café in mainland China would move in, but the store had been operating as a pop-up, and after two theme changes, the coffee shop never materialized. It was not until July 31 this year, after a third theme change, that this Dior pop-up officially upgraded to a flagship store, and the first Dior café in mainland China opened along with it. Surprisingly, however, what truly sparked heated discussion among netizens was not the store design or the exquisite afternoon tea, but the scene of inviting a master to worship the God of Wealth at the opening ceremony. This article will take you through the whole story and explore the business logic behind luxury brands opening coffee shops. [more…]

At the start of the new year, Starbucks announced a collaboration with Shanghai Animation Film Studio's classic animation "Havoc in Heaven," launching peach-flavored coffee drinks inspired by the "Peach Banquet." This news evoked childhood memories for many netizens, but some consumers were not impressed with the collaboration—because based on the available information, the campaign seemed to offer only limited-edition drinks, lacking themed packaging and merchandise. Compared to other brands that frequently release collaborative cup sleeves, tote bags, and other items, Starbucks' sincerity in this collaboration has been questioned, with some netizens pointing out that the limited-edition drinks are actually a hidden menu item that can be enjoyed in advance through customization services. Whether this collaboration can meet the expectations of "Havoc in Heaven" fans remains to be seen. [more…]

Collaborations happen every year, but this year there are especially many. Luckin Coffee recently leaked news of a collaboration with Victoria's Secret, with co-branded paper bags, cup sleeves, and a new osmanthus Longjing latte expected to launch tomorrow. As soon as the spoiler photos of the pink winged cup sleeves were exposed, they triggered polarized reactions from netizens—some bluntly called them "ugly and rejected," while others were drawn in by their good looks. Victoria's Secret's aim with this collaboration is to build hype for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which will return with a revamp next month. As a veteran of collaborations, how Luckin's crossover will perform this time is something to look forward to. [more…]

In recent years, collaborations between new tea beverage brands and popular IPs have become the norm, and the partnership between Good-me and Mo Dao Zu Shi is no exception. In early November, the two parties launched a limited-edition collaboration event, covering themed stores in 16 cities across the country. Fans were highly enthusiastic, and the long queues even made it onto trending topics. However, before the event even started, they had to apologize due to the cancellation of a drone show, and the shadow of the previous failed collaboration with Love and Deepspace had not yet dissipated. Despite the bumpy start, Good-me still announced an additional second round of takeout packages, intending to use the popular IP to boost sales again. This article will review the entire process of this collaboration, fan reactions, and brand strategy, while interspersing Front Street Coffee's observations on the phenomenon of industry collaborations. [more…]

Luckin Coffee officially announced on September 23 a collaboration with *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean* for October, launching themed events across its nationwide stores. This is not Luckin's first crossover; previous partnerships with Coconut Palm and EDG both sparked heated discussion. Looking across the coffee and tea beverage sector, Manner's collaborations with Helena Rubinstein and LV, Heytea's tie-in with *A Dream of Splendor*, and Nayuki's partnership with *Love Between Fairy and Devil*—brand co-branding has become an important strategy for breaking fixed impressions and achieving customer base complementarity. This article reviews several recent typical cases and includes Front Street Coffee's professional communication channels for coffee enthusiasts to gain deeper insight into industry trends. [more…]

Recently, a post on social media about a Guming campus store suddenly closing after a collaborative event ended sparked widespread discussion. The poster discovered that the store was still operating during the collaboration with Honkai: Star Rail, but as soon as the event ended, it was deserted overnight—equipment and promotional materials all vanished, with only the lightbox sign left intact. Netizens speculated whether the store had gone bankrupt due to the collaboration, but the poster later clarified that the closure was actually due to lease expiration or operating losses, with no direct link to the collaboration. This incident reflects the hidden operational challenges behind the tea beverage brand collaboration craze: a surge in orders does not equal profitability, and after the hype fades, some stores still cannot escape the fate of closing. [more…]

After Luckin Coffee faced dissatisfaction over the reduced 9.9 yuan promotion, it launched a cherry blossom season limited edition and a collaboration with the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, but the market response was lukewarm. Subsequently, Luckin officially announced a collaboration with the national dance drama "Dream of the Red Chamber," sparking heated discussions among netizens. Unexpectedly, the tea beverage chain brand Yihe Tang quickly followed up, releasing a poster with an almost identical composition and announcing a collaboration with the original "Dream of the Red Chamber." The two major brands' collaborations clashed, and netizens jokingly referred to it as the rivalry between Bao and Dai. Yihe Tang even interacted in Luckin's comment section using Lin Daiyu's lines, prompting calls for Chayan Yuese. Behind this marketing battle, who ultimately comes out on top? [more…]

A tea beverage and gaming collaboration that was originally highly anticipated came to an abrupt halt on the day of its official announcement. On December 14, Light and Night announced a co-branded new product with Auntea Jenny, but employees at some stores were exposed for insulting players and game characters. Related topics quickly topped the hot search list, with views exceeding 450 million. Just three hours later, the game developer urgently stated that the collaboration was terminated, which netizens jokingly called "the shortest collaboration in history." Auntea Jenny subsequently apologized and fired the employees involved, but players were not appeased. This incident not only exposed the brand's loopholes in franchise management, but also sounded a warning bell for cross-industry collaborations. [more…]

In early November, Luckin Coffee officially announced on Weibo a collaboration with the popular game IP "Genshin Impact," and the news quickly sparked heated discussions among players. Subsequently, employees took to social platforms to leak details about the collaboration event's timing, characters, and limited-edition drinks. Even more notably, internal assessments included questions related to game characters, causing many non-gaming workers to complain of headaches. Some resorted to rote memorization, others downloaded the game for last-minute cramming, and some questioned whether such content, unrelated to daily operations, was necessary. Players generally believed that familiarizing themselves with the IP in advance could prevent giving out the wrong merchandise and enhance the collaboration experience. Behind this collaboration lies a reflection of the new challenges frontline employees face when chain coffee brands partner with game IPs. [more…]