Luxury Crossover! Bvlgari Collaborates with Coffee Brand

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

Is Coffee the Ultimate Destination for Luxury Brands?

Can't afford Bvlgari jewelry? You can still order a cup of its collaborative coffee.

Recently on social media, I noticed that the Italian high-end jewelry house Bvlgari had teamed up with the Singapore-based coffee brand Bacha Coffee to launch an in-store Bvlgari x Bacha Coffee pop-up, with the collaboration running until the end of January next year.

Bvlgari is a multi-faceted Italian luxury brand. If you like the label and happen to love coffee, this brand-new pop-up will definitely catch your eye.

As at Bacha Coffee's other takeaway outlets, each coffee at the pop-up costs 8 Singapore dollars. It is served on a tray that also holds honey sticks and the brand's signature fresh cream. What sets the Bvlgari collaboration apart is the cup sleeve: a special starry Bvlgari design that lends a touch of luxury to the coffee experience.

At the pop-up you can taste several limited-edition blends, all specially developed for the event with Bacha Coffee. Every cup is brewed to order, but because the pop-up is a takeaway-only counter, the coffee has to be enjoyed on the move.

Bvlgari's Luxury Legacy and Coffee Ventures

Bvlgari is a world-renowned luxury brand whose main lines include jewelry, watches, perfumes, accessories, and leather goods. It belongs to the LVMH group and was founded in Rome in 1884 by Sotirios Bvlgari.

The coffee market has kept expanding. In earlier years, many people might have assumed that fashion and luxury goods had nothing to do with coffee, but with the rapid rise of coffee culture, a growing number of luxury houses have entered the market. According to reports, international brands such as LV, Gucci, Burberry, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton have opened coffee shops around the world.

Bvlgari in fact entered the coffee market years ago, opening its first café and restaurant in Osaka: Il Café. As Bvlgari's only coffee brand, Il Café carries the house's luxurious style through its design, creating a very elegant atmosphere. The café sits next to Bvlgari's jewelry and watch store. Nor is this Bvlgari's first coffee collaboration pop-up. From May 13 to May 22 this year, Bvlgari Fragrances partnered with the specialty coffee brand Manner Coffee on a pop-up at Shenzhen Mixc World. The glass greenhouse was filled with pink flowers that appealed to young women, and its striking appearance made the shop hugely popular right after opening, drawing crowds of netizens to visit and check in.

Why Luxury Brands Are Entering the Coffee Market

Coffee's acceptance in China continues to grow, and as younger consumer groups gain spending power, the number of coffee drinkers will keep rising. That means coffee shops can reach a broad audience, which is the main reason luxury brands keep moving into the coffee market at this stage. Coffee is a high-frequency purchase, while luxury goods are a low-frequency one; opening coffee shops lets a brand funnel some of that high-frequency traffic toward low-frequency spending.

Through collaborations with coffee brands, Bvlgari is replicating this model in different locations. Perhaps it is because coffee drinkers skew younger than jewelry buyers, and collaborative coffee can open new growth points for the brand.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

You don't need a luxury pop-up to drink like one. FrontStreet Specialty Blend is the espresso blend the brand has used longest, built on a classic pairing of Brazilian Cerrado and Colombian Huila coffee. Roasted medium-dark, it delivers the familiar nutty, dark chocolate, and caramel profile with a pleasant bittersweet balance. Paired with milk for a latte it is smooth and holds latte art well, and the rich roast aroma shines through in a layered Dirty.

For a touch of sweetness worthy of a collaboration dessert, try FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend. Made from three single-origin coffees, it carries a rose-like floral note, while an Americano or latte reveals grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange, and fruit candy flavors for a cup that is anything but ordinary.

And if you are opening a café rather than just drinking at home, FrontStreet Commercial Blend adds a small amount of Robusta to the Brazilian-Colombian base for toasted bread, almond, and walnut aromas, flowing crema, low acidity, and a full body at a price that makes it a smart choice for a shop.