Introduction:Cotti Coffee capitalized on the hype surrounding the release of "Paddington Bear 3" by launching a collaborative promotion and a series of Sea Salt Caramel Lattes. However, multiple locations reported shortages of promotional items such as cup sleeves and co-branded cups, with some even resorting to substituting with SpongeBob-themed cups. Additionally, consumer feedback on the new Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte and Oat Milk Latte has been highly polarized. This article delves into the flavor profiles of the products, the challenges in obtaining co-branded merchandise, and outlines the actual supply chain issues Cotti faced during this campaign, helping consumers better understand the event details.
Anticipating the excitement around the upcoming release of "Paddington Bear 3," Cotti Coffee officially announced its collaboration with the beloved British bear on October 28, simultaneously launching two new latte flavors: "Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte" and "Sea Salt Caramel Oat Milk Latte." However, after the promotion went live, many customers reported that numerous outlets experienced severe shortages of promotional items such as cup sleeves, co-branded paper bags, and custom cups, with some stores even using SpongeBob-themed cups as substitutes.
The Sea Salt Caramel series launched by Cotti features both beverages made with IIAC Gold Award-winning coffee beans, specially infused with sea salt and caramel flavor elements to differentiate within the latte category. Among them, the "Sea Salt Caramel Silky Latte" offers two sweetness options: full sugar and half sugar. However, some customers noted that even the half sugar version remained overly sweet, almost masking the savory depth of the sea salt, though the caramel aroma and smooth texture matched the promotional descriptions.
The other variant, the "Sea Salt Caramel Oat Milk Latte," uses OATLY oat milk and is marketed as a 0 sucrose, 0 lactose formula, catering to those who are lactose intolerant. Nevertheless, some consumers felt the flavor of this drink was relatively mild, with the oat milk presence being subtle, resulting in an overall watery mouthfeel that didn’t strongly evoke the theme of the new collaboration. It may also fall slightly short as a substitute for Starbucks’ Oat Milk Latte.
Although the drinks themselves received mixed reviews, many customers admitted their primary motivation for purchasing was to collect the adorable Paddington Bear co-branded merchandise, as themed collaborations featuring this IP remain relatively rare in the current tea and coffee market. According to the official campaign details, purchasing a "Sticker Single Cup Set" earns customers a Paddington Bear sticker; opting for a "Magnet Single Cup Set" gives a choice between two types of magnets; and upgrading to a "Double Cup Set" grants both the sticker and magnet, along with additional merchandise such as co-branded paper bags, custom cups, and cup sleeves.
However, the actual in-store experience left many fans disappointed. Some customers reported excitedly visiting outlets only to find no cup sleeves or co-branded paper bags, with the counter displaying promotional bags from other campaigns, initially leading them to believe the items hadn’t arrived yet. Upon asking staff, they learned that co-branded merchandise could only be obtained by ordering the collaboration set, with the items then discreetly retrieved from behind the counter, creating an oddly secretive atmosphere.
Other customers mentioned that even when purchasing the specified set, they were informed that all promotional items had already been given out. Some fans who tried buying the co-branded combo hoping to secure merchandise also faced “sold out” notifications. Even more amusingly frustrating, one customer who ordered the Paddington Bear set ended up receiving a SpongeBob-themed cup from a previous campaign due to a lack of co-branded cups at the store, creating a striking contrast.
Attentive customers noticed that Cotti’s official Weibo post included a disclaimer at the bottom of the announcement: “*Due to varying store stock levels, please confirm availability with the store before visiting,” a seemingly polite reminder that actually reflects genuine inconsistencies in merchandise distribution across the brand’s outlets.
Regarding this, a front-line Cotti employee revealed that the brand frequently faces dual shortages of ingredients and packaging materials whenever launching new products or collaboration events. Not only are bags sometimes out of stock, but other auxiliary items often fall short as well. Weekly orders frequently result in warehouse responses indicating no planned stock, leaving frontline staff to helplessly deal with customer complaints.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
