Caribou Coffee teamed up with award-winning chef Christina Tosi to add Milk Bar-branded treats to the permanent menu nationwide. The partnership kicked off over the weekend in Minneapolis, the city where Caribou is headquartered.
Tosi created three Milk Bar-branded cookies for the coffee chain:
• The Confetti Cookie, featuring familiar box-mix birthday cake flavors, such as vanilla, butter and rainbow sprinkles, combined in a fluffy, chewy sugar cookie
• The Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie, a crunchy, chewy riff on the classic chocolate chip cookie, packed with caramelized cornflakes and gooey marshmallows
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Super Crunchy, a cookie packed with a deep, caramelized, butter flavor and filled with crunch from crispy rice cereal
Although this is the coffee chain’s first partnership with a celebrity chef, the two brands share core synergies, said Erin Newkirk, Caribou’s chief brand and marketing officer, in an interview with Restaurant Business. And Tosi actually reached out first.
“Milk Bar was definitely on our radar as we’ve enjoyed their iconic treats,” said Newkirk. “The brand is an especially good fit because we’re both dedicated to using quality, real ingredients and share the values of creativity, connection and commitment to creating memories.”
Food innovation is an area where Caribou is continuing to evolve in order to differentiate in a very competitive segment and enhance the guest experience as the chain continues to grow nationwide. The coffeehouse, part of Panera Brands, currently operates over 800 locations worldwide.
Milk Bar cookies play into what Caribou guests are looking for, Newkirk said, and “absolutely tap into treat culture, providing elements of joy and self-care at an affordable price.” They sell for about $3.99 apiece.
Milk Bar's cookies are packaged to grab and go at Caribou locations.
In less than a week, the Milk Bar treats ranked in the top five of Caribou’s all-time new food items, surpassing sales estimates by 30%, said Newkirk. The cookies are available all day, pre-packaged to grab and go for a snack and/or beverage pairing.
Caribou and Milk Bar kicked off the partnership over the weekend with an experiential ‘BOUdega’ pop-up, bringing New York City bodega vibes to the hometown roots of the Minnesota-based coffee chain. The event featured a custom merchandise printing station, a build-your-own bloom bar, a tasting menu of Milk Bar cookies and Caribou summer drinks and meet-and-greets with Tosi. “She was there behind the counter baking and handing out cookies,” said Newkirk.
“We created Milk Bar with the belief that dessert has the power to spark joy and connection,” said Tosi in a statement. “Our partnership with Caribou Coffee lets us take that mission even further, turning everyday moments into celebrations and making our treats more accessible than ever to longtime fans and new guests alike.” She founded Milk Bar in 2008 and remains CEO of the dessert company, continuing to operate 12 bakery locations.
The Caribou Coffee partnership is Milk Bar’s first permanent coffeehouse menu offering.
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