Blue Bottle x Compartés: From Bean to Bar, An Immersive Brand Collaboration
This self-initiated experiential concept reimagines the Blue Bottle x Compartés collaboration as a multi-sensory tasting journey, blending artisanal coffee culture with avant-garde chocolate artistry. Every touchpoint, from the space’s architectural cues to the take-home packaging, is designed to spark curiosity, invite exploration, and heighten the indulgence of flavor discovery.
Strategy & Objectives
Objective
Create a multi-sensory brand activation that deepens audience connection by showcasing each brand’s craftsmanship, from cacao pod to espresso bean, while reinforcing both as leaders in quality, creativity, and artistry.
Business Rationale & Admission Model
The activation would be free to attend, encouraging high foot traffic and accessibility. Influencers and media would be invited to the opening to amplify buzz across social channels. Guests could purchase the curated coffee-and-chocolate flight pairing, while enjoying complimentary small-bite tastings that highlight the Blue Bottle x Compartés collaboration. Event-exclusive products, such as limited-edition chocolate bars, specialty coffee beans, and chocolate-covered espresso beans, would provide additional revenue opportunities and extend the experience beyond the venue.
My role
Directed the creative vision, thematic flow, and experiential storytelling for this concept. Designed narrative-driven spatial sequences and sensory touchpoints through detailed AI prompt engineering, informed by research into brand ethos and guest journey mapping. While not an architectural designer, I translated spatial concepts into visual and emotional blueprints, ensuring every environment aligned with the campaign narrative.
Strategic Highlights
Brand Synergy – Align Blue Bottle’s precision roasting with Compartés’ artisanal chocolate-making to tell a shared story of craft, process, and flavor.
Multi-Touchpoint Engagement – Design a journey that blends physical experience (pop-ups, tastings, workshops) with digital content (NFC-triggered microsite) to extend brand impact beyond the event.
Sensory Storytelling – Use taste, smell, and visuals to create emotional recall and deepen brand affinity.
Intended Impact
Create a premium, memorable touchpoint that guests associate with quality and creativity long after the event.
Discover the Craft
Tapping the NFC tag unlocks a mobile-friendly microsite where guests can explore Blue Bottle’s coffee roasting process and Compartés’ chocolate-making journey, from raw bean to final creation. Each section blends stunning visuals with concise storytelling, turning the corridor into an interactive learning moment that deepens brand connection.
Experience Design
Immersive Corridor: The Story Begins
Guests enter through a narrow, museum-like corridor lined with coffee trees on one side and cacao trees on the other. Midway, an NFC tag invites them to tap and explore an interactive microsite, revealing each brand’s bean-to-bar process.
Blue Bottle Pop-Up Café
Inside the activation, guests can enjoy a flight tasting of four signature Blue Bottle coffees paired with hand-selected Compartés truffles, curated to enhance the coffee’s unique flavor notes.
Compartés Chocolate Atelier
A pop-up chocolate studio where guests can customize their own Compartés truffle box from a curated selection of event-exclusive flavors, including Blue Bottle–infused chocolates.
Event-Exclusive Merchandise
Specially packaged Blue Bottle x Compartés coffee beans, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and coffee-infused chocolate bars available only at the event.
A Taste of Blue Bottle
Tucked within the immersive experience, this minimalist pop-up café invites guests to sip on signature Blue Bottle brews. Designed to mirror the brand’s refined aesthetic, the space offers espresso pairings, curated chocolate collaborations, and a moment of calm within the sensory journey.
Taste the Craft: Coffee Meets Chocolate
Inside the activation, guests can enjoy a flight tasting of four signature Blue Bottle coffees paired with hand-selected Compartés truffles—each pairing crafted to complement the coffee’s unique flavor notes.
Compartés Chocolate Atelier
A pop-up chocolate studio where guests can customize their own Compartés truffle box from a curated selection of event-exclusive flavors, including Blue Bottle–infused chocolates.
Choose Your Flavor Journey
Guests personalize their Compartés x Blue Bottle truffle box by selecting from 10 exclusive flavors—including several infused with Blue Bottle’s signature coffee blends. From sea salt caramel to café au lait ganache, this hands-on form invites visitors to craft a sensory experience that’s uniquely theirs.
Create Your Own Truffle Story
Guests can design their own Compartés truffle box by selecting from a curated menu of handcrafted flavors made exclusively for the event. Each box is a personalized gift—blending bold design with unforgettable flavor in a tasting experience as unique as the guest who created it.
A Sweet Finish, Three Ways
Guests indulge in a trio of decadent desserts crafted exclusively for the event—tiramisu, chocolate pot de crème, and affogato—each infused with rich Compartés chocolate and expertly brewed Blue Bottle espresso. It's a perfectly balanced tasting experience that ends the journey on a high note.
Take the Experience Home
Specially packaged Blue Bottle x Compartés coffee beans, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and coffee-infused chocolate bars available only at the event.
Crafted exclusively for this event, each Compartés chocolate bar is infused with Blue Bottle coffee and inspired by iconic desserts: Tiramisu, Pot de Crème, and Affogato. Wrapped in bold, artful packaging, these bars blend rich chocolate with deep espresso notes for a decadent twist on the classics.
Outcome & Brand Value
This concept weaves physical and digital storytelling into a tactile brand narrative, intentionally designed to:
Increase dwell-time via an immersive bean-to-bar journey
Drive social buzz with thought-provoking sensory moments
Build lasting emotional resonance through narrative and craft
Envisioned KPIs
Designed to boost social impressions across owned and earned channels, extend average dwell-time to approximately 30 minutes, and encourage at least 1 in 5 guests to return during the campaign window. Additional goals include driving user-generated content through interactive touchpoints and increasing brand sentiment scores in post-event surveys.
In a client context, I would collaborate with marketing and analytics teams to review post-event data and optimize future activations.