Vlogging these past seven years has made Emma Chamberlain one of the most influential creators of her generation, with more than 12 million subscribers on YouTube and 15 million followers on Instagram. These days, she’s using her relatability—along with her massive following—to scale her startup, Chamberlain Coffee.
“I’m a home barista just like the rest of us,” says Chamberlain. “It’s always been a passion for me since before I started my YouTube.”
Founded in 2019, Chamberlain Coffee has raised $15 million in funding from investors including Blazar Capital and Volition Capital. Products range from coffee grounds to matcha powder and recently launched ready-to-drink canned lattes. From 2022 to 2023, the company’s revenue nearly doubled; Forbes estimates it to have been $20 million last year.
While social media and online marketing are significant growth engines for the company, retail is a new focus. Chamberlain Coffee bags first appeared in Los Angeles’ luxe grocer Erewhon in 2021, followed by Sprouts in 2022. Ready-to-drink lattes launched in Walmart in an exclusive six-month trial in April 2023. Based on shoppers’ feedback, they relaunched wider with an updated latte formula last December. This April, Chamberlain Coffee inked a deal with 800 Target locations to sell ready-to-drink cans in flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon bun, salted caramel and mocha.
This year, Chamberlain Coffee collaborated with Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila on a Coachella pop-up to serve espresso martinis using her signature cold brew.
Even with her meteoric career, Chamberlain says her biggest challenge is not letting mistakes discourage her. “There are going to be ups and downs, there’s going to be shit that hits the fan,” she says. “You know what you have to do? You have to put your big-girl pants on, and you have to keep going.”
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“I’m a home barista just like the rest of us,” says Chamberlain. “It’s always been a passion for me since before I started my YouTube.”
Founded in 2019, Chamberlain Coffee has raised $15 million in funding from investors including Blazar Capital and Volition Capital. Products range from coffee grounds to matcha powder and recently launched ready-to-drink canned lattes. From 2022 to 2023, the company’s revenue nearly doubled; Forbes estimates it to have been $20 million last year.
While social media and online marketing are significant growth engines for the company, retail is a new focus. Chamberlain Coffee bags first appeared in Los Angeles’ luxe grocer Erewhon in 2021, followed by Sprouts in 2022. Ready-to-drink lattes launched in Walmart in an exclusive six-month trial in April 2023. Based on shoppers’ feedback, they relaunched wider with an updated latte formula last December. This April, Chamberlain Coffee inked a deal with 800 Target locations to sell ready-to-drink cans in flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon bun, salted caramel and mocha.
This year, Chamberlain Coffee collaborated with Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila on a Coachella pop-up to serve espresso martinis using her signature cold brew.
Even with her meteoric career, Chamberlain says her biggest challenge is not letting mistakes discourage her. “There are going to be ups and downs, there’s going to be shit that hits the fan,” she says. “You know what you have to do? You have to put your big-girl pants on, and you have to keep going.”
Read the full story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexyork/
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
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Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC]
00:04 I'm Emma Chamberlain, co-founder of Chamberlain Coffee.
00:07 And today I'm gonna be making, big shocker, a coffee.
00:10 [MUSIC]
00:16 I'm on the go today, so I'm gonna use a to-go cup, okay?
00:20 I need a lot of ice, I'll explain later.
00:22 So you might be looking at me and thinking, well, that's a little kid.
00:27 I'm 22, so relax.
00:30 I started Chamberlain Coffee when I was about 18 or
00:35 19 because I had a really genuine passion for coffee.
00:42 But on top of that, through my YouTube channel,
00:46 I became known as a coffee drinker.
00:48 I need to do a double shot.
00:50 [MUSIC]
00:54 So we're doing another one, or else it's not gonna be the right.
00:57 It just will be wrong.
00:58 It sort of was a natural thing to start a coffee company.
01:04 But one of the main challenges was being young.
01:10 I'm still in a lot of ways even now a kid.
01:14 I don't have a lot of life experience.
01:16 I didn't go to college.
01:18 What gives me the credential to start a company?
01:24 But I think if you have an idea and if you're passionate about something,
01:30 you might as well try it.
01:32 Hold on.
01:35 Nice.
01:37 You have to get the espresso cold first.
01:39 [MUSIC]
01:45 What's helped me manage my imposter syndrome about starting a company at such
01:50 a young age is accepting the fact that no one knows how to do everything.
01:55 And what I bring to the table is valuable.
01:59 It's a new perspective on coffee.
02:02 It's a new feeling.
02:04 It's doing coffee in a different way.
02:09 I still struggle at times with feeling, actually not as much anymore.
02:18 You know what?
02:18 Not as much anymore.
02:19 I've really come to terms with what I'm able to bring to the table
02:25 entrepreneurially, if that's even a word.
02:29 And now my coffee is done.
02:33 I didn't fill it up all the way because this is just like the perfect balance.
02:40 If I filled it up all the way, it would be too much milk.
02:43 I don't know.
02:44 [MUSIC]
02:50 It's really good.
02:52 I mean, of course it's good.
02:53 [MUSIC]
03:03 (upbeat music)
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