Chamberlain Coffee: How a Vlogger’s Mail-Order Brand Reached Retail and a Cafe

Chamberlain Coffee started as a test run of steeped coffee bags and grew into a grocery and Walmart brand with a Los Angeles cafe. Here is the timeline, the funding, the leadership changes and what founders can take from it.

Chamberlain Coffee is the beverage company YouTube creator Emma Chamberlain started as a small test run of instant coffee bags and mugs, according to Modern Retail, and later took into grocery chains, Walmart and a Los Angeles cafe. Its path is a useful case for founders because it shows the hard part of a creator brand: getting customers who buy the product even when the founder is not on camera.

Chamberlain Coffee timeline

The company moved through four phases in roughly six years: a founder-led launch, a rebrand, a funded push into retail, and a physical store. The dates below come from the outlets that covered each step.

When What happened Reported by
Dec 2019 Launch with steeped coffee bags Tubefilter
Sept 2020 Rebrand, new roasts and formats Tubefilter
2021 Ex-Red Bull executive hired as CEO Tubefilter
Aug 2022 $7 million Series A Modern Retail, Fortune
2023 Canned lattes launch at Walmart Company release
Aug 2024 Founder becomes co-CEO Forbes
2025-2026 Pinterest collaborations; LA cafe Tubefilter, Variety

One caveat on the start date: Tubefilter and Modern Retail place the first launch in 2019, while the company’s own 2023 release says “Since its inception in 2020,” a date that matches the relaunch rather than the first test run.

How Chamberlain Coffee started

The first product was built around convenience. Tubefilter reported that the brand stood out at launch by selling coffee in steeped bags that buyers could brew like tea. Chamberlain later said the team had focused on the product more than on branding or packaging at that stage.

That choice had costs. In the same 2020 report, she acknowledged early problems getting the product out, including shipping delays, and said of the original look: “We realized down the line that there was a lack of personality in the brand.” The September 2020 relaunch added ground and whole bean coffee, four new named roasts, and colorful animal-themed bags; whole bean, ground and 10-packs of steeped bags were each priced at $20.

Funding and valuation

The only priced round on the public record is a $7 million Series A in August 2022, and the company has never published a valuation. Modern Retail listed the investors as Blazar Capital, YouTuber Danny Duncan, Grin founder Brandon Brown and DTC strategist Nik Sharma. Fortune later said Blazar led the round.

Valuation, in startup terms, means the total price a funding round implies for the entire business. Fortune’s 2022 startup profile left that line as “Declined to disclose” and listed the company at 10 employees, so outsiders cannot calculate what any shareholder’s stake is worth.

Growth claims from this period came from management. Modern Retail reported that the company was on track to more than double revenue that year, and Tubefilter said the plan was to double revenue every year and to hire a first chief marketing officer. The only later sales figure is Tubefilter’s 2025 description of the brand as hitting an estimated $20 million in annual sales; no outlet has independently confirmed it.

The business model: from direct sales to grocery shelves

Chamberlain Coffee began as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand, meaning it sold mainly through its own website, and then pushed into stores because that is where most coffee is bought. CEO Christopher Gallant gave the logic to Fortune in 2023: coffee suits subscriptions because it is a daily habit, “But most people still purchase their coffee on their weekly grocery trip.”

  • Online. In 2022, Gallant told Modern Retail that DTC was still the brand’s biggest channel, without giving the retail share. It also sold through Amazon and Gopuff.
  • Specialty grocery. Erewhon and Sprouts followed, and Fortune reported Sprouts as the largest partner in early 2023, when the brand was in about 500 stores and aiming for 5,000 by year end.
  • Mass retail. A December 2023 company release said ready-to-drink lattes first launched in April that year, joined three coffee products already at Walmart, and were followed by oatmilk versions.
  • The hero product. Fortune said the top seller was single-serve cold brew sachets at $16 for a box of 10.

Leadership changes

The company has had two leadership setups on the record. Tubefilter reported in 2022 that the brand had hired Christopher Gallant, formerly of Red Bull, as chief executive the previous year, and the December 2023 release still identified him as CEO. Forbes then reported in August 2024 that Emma Chamberlain had taken the helm as co-CEO. No reputable outlet in our sources detailed why the structure changed or named Gallant’s next role, so we do not speculate.

What went right and what went wrong, as reported

The record shows a brand that worked hard to stand apart from its founder’s fame, with mixed early execution.

What went right. The relaunch gave each roast an animal character, and Lia Haberman, a UCLA professor who focuses on influencer marketing, later told Modern Retail the brand had undergone a smart redesign and that “the branding stands on its own.” Gallant told Modern Retail that most of the company’s social posts did not even feature Emma Chamberlain. Partnerships kept the brand in the news: Pinterest had never released its own co-branded product before a 2025 Chamberlain blend, Tubefilter noted, and Variety reported a second Pinterest collaboration in 2026.

What went wrong. The first launch had shipping delays and a plain look the founder herself called lacking personality. Outside experts also flagged dependence on one face. Haberman told Modern Retail that “a successful business needs to be able to operate on its own merits and see growth that’s not entirely dependent on the influencer and their audience.” Chamberlain reached a similar view; Variety wrote in 2026 that she came to see tying the company’s success to her personal prominence as unsustainable.

The cafe

A storefront was the long-planned next step. Variety reported in October 2026 that the former mail-order brand had opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles in May. A June 2025 Tubefilter story had already referred to a Los Angeles location that opened that January. The two accounts differ on timing, and the company has not published an opening date we could verify, so treat the exact month as unconfirmed.

Lessons for founders from Chamberlain Coffee

Four practical takeaways stand out from this record.

  1. Fix the brand early, in public if needed. A relaunch within a year let the company add formats and personality while it was still small.
  2. Go where the purchase happens. A strong online audience did not change the fact that most coffee is bought at the grocery store, so retail became the growth plan.
  3. Separate the brand from the founder’s feed. Product-led social posts and outside collaborations reduce the risk that a founder’s break from posting drags down sales.
  4. Know what you have not disclosed. Without a valuation or audited revenue, outside estimates fill the gap; founders who want credit for growth need to publish numbers themselves.

For other creator companies built on the same playbook, see our stories on Feastables and Myna Snacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Chamberlain Coffee launch?

Emma Chamberlain launched it in December 2019 with a test run of steeped coffee bags, according to Tubefilter and Modern Retail, then relaunched it with new branding and roasts in September 2020. The company itself dates its inception to 2020.

Who owns Chamberlain Coffee?

Emma Chamberlain founded it and has described herself as an investor; venture investors led by Blazar Capital joined in its 2022 Series A. Ownership percentages have not been published.

How much is Chamberlain Coffee worth?

No valuation has been disclosed. Fortune listed the valuation as declined to disclose when the company raised its Series A in 2022.

Who is the CEO of Chamberlain Coffee?

Christopher Gallant, a former Red Bull executive, was hired as CEO in 2021 and was still named CEO in a December 2023 release. Forbes reported in August 2024 that Emma Chamberlain had taken the role of co-CEO.

Does Chamberlain Coffee have a cafe?

Yes. Variety reported in October 2026 that the brand had opened a Los Angeles storefront in May. Tubefilter had earlier described a Los Angeles location opening in January 2025, so reports differ on the date.

Sources

This article is general information for founders and is not accounting, legal or investment advice. Net worth figures are estimates published by the outlets named, on the dates shown. They are not disclosed by the people profiled, they move with markets and private valuations, and different publications reach different numbers. Found Founders is not affiliated with anyone profiled here.