How a Plum-Themed Hot Chocolate Bar Helped The Body Shop Launch a New Line in Central London

This week Social Espresso created a fully branded plum-themed mobile coffee bar for The Body Shop’s product launch, complete with plum cups, a plum-coloured bar, and a limited-edition plum hot chocolate. Staff, influencers and the general public loved it, and queues ran down the street.

Launching a new product line is about more than shelves and signage. It’s about creating a moment people want to be part of, something they’ll photograph, post, and remember. When The Body Shop asked us to support their new line launch in central London with our mobile barista service, the brief was simple but exciting:

‘Create a drink experience that felt like the product. Plum-coloured. Plum-flavoured. Beautiful. Shareable.’

This was one of those projects where creativity and hospitality blended effortlessly, and where a warm drink became the thread that tied the whole story together.

The Brief: A Drink That Belonged to the Brand

The Body Shop was launching a new plum-inspired range. They wanted a drink experience that echoed the scent, colour and playful energy of the line; something guests would engage with naturally, without it feeling promotional.

So Social Espresso developed:

• A plum-flavoured hot chocolate with a subtle, not-too-sweet profile
• A rich plum colour that looked beautiful in photos
• A plum-coloured mobile barista setup to anchor the space
• Branded plum cups designed specifically for content moments

The drink wasn’t just inspired by the range. It was part of it. And as we know from experience, guests naturally gather around great drinks — it’s a simple way to start conversations. And that’s exactly what happened.

Designing the Bar to Blend, Not Stand Out

At Social Espresso, we don’t just roll in a bar and plug in a machine. Our mobile barista service is designed with tone, space, lighting and flow in mind. The Body Shop’s event aesthetic was tactile, warm and playful, so our mobile bar and branded cups had to feel like they really belonged in the room, they weren’t just there as an add-on.

We focused on:

• Colour matching: Aligning the bar and cup shades to the brand palette
• Texture and finish: Ensuring the bar didn’t look too slick or corporate
• Placement: Positioning the bar in a natural flow of foot traffic

The result was seamless. People walked up to the bar without hesitation, it felt like the natural heart of the space.

Day 1: Influencers, Creators and Content

The launch began quietly, with a day dedicated to staff and invited influencers. This was the perfect environment for what we do best; warm hospitality with attention to detail.

Our mobile baristas took their time, pouring soft microfoam, creating playful chocolate art, and answering questions about the flavour. Influencers noticed. And when influencers love something, the internet notices too. Our branded cups began appearing in story posts, unboxing shots and vlog cutaways. The drink art became the small but irresistible detail people wanted to capture, and the bar setup itself became a recognisable anchor point across content streams.

No forced staging. No “please photograph this” boards. Just a drink people genuinely thought was beautiful, and a bar that naturally drew people in.

Day 2: The Public Arrival… Aad the Queue Down the Street

By the next morning, the tone had changed completely. Word had clearly spread. Our baristas told us that people had been queuing since 3am in camping chairs, eager to get inside. When the doors finally opened, the plum hot chocolate was one of the first things they encountered, and it quickly became the must-try moment of the day.

Nothing draws people quite like a warm drink on a cold London morning, especially when it’s free, new, and beautifully presented. Two of our mobile baristas served over 1,000 drinks in a single day. The line for the bar moved constantly but smoothly, a rhythm our baristas are trained for at high-footfall activations.

And the drink itself delivered. The plum flavour surprised people in the best possible way; familiar, but different; cosy, but intriguing. A small delight that made the morning special, and a perfect reflection of the brand’s playful warmth.

Why Mobile Coffee Bars Work So Well at Brand Launches

There’s a reason why a mobile barista bar works, and we see it again and again at exhibitions, brand activations and launches. Drinks slow people down just enough to connect. They create an opportunity for small conversations, they become a reason to linger, and they give people  something to share before they’ve even explored the rest of the space.

A well-designed mobile barista service does three things at once:

• Welcomes guests warmly
• Encourages organic content creation
• Builds positive emotional memory towards the brand

The Body Shop activation had all three, and it showed in the atmosphere, the engagement, and the photos flooding social feeds.

The Outcome

• Fully branded plum-themed mobile barista bar and cups
• Bespoke plum hot chocolate developed to complement the product line
• Influencer-driven content wave on day one
• 1,000+ drinks served to the public on day two
• A strong atmosphere of excitement and anticipation

Most importantly…

The drink experience felt like part of the brand, not an add-on. Every customer who walked out of the shop still holding their drink also held a portable advertisement that they took out into the streets of London.

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