Boasting a menu of restorative and rejuvenating drinks and beauty products, Drink Beauty, located at 3424 Magazine Street, is the kind of café (and more) that Alice in Wonderland might appreciate: a dreamy, pretty space where there’s more than meets the eye in every cup served.
New Orleans-born founders Melissa Coleman and CeCe Colhoun transitioned from the business of fashion and retail to that of beauty and nourishment when Drink Beauty launched in August 2019. Their inspiration came from the popular cafes that have taken big cities like Los Angeles and New York by storm.
Colhoun said that the goal was to follow the lead of “coffee shops on the coasts that have Instagrammable cafes with beautiful and healthy drinks — along with basic coffee drinks — but also add a little something extra.”
Menu items include café standards such as cold brew coffee, lattes and cappuccinos, along with dreamy concoctions sometimes accented with CBD for an extra dose of botanical enrichment. Drinks are designed to “transform the soul while feeding the body.” Colhoun said Drink Beauty’s line of specialty lattes is a consistent bestseller.
We definitely are the coffee shop that you can run into each morning and grab your daily coffee to go, but we also strive to provide a space where people can gather and stay awhile.
— Drink Beauty Co-founder Melissa Coleman
“The specialty lattes [are very popular], which include the ‘Drink Beauty,’ ‘The Purple Rain,’ the ‘Daydream’ and the ‘Golden Girl Chai,’” said Colhoun, “but our Mollwellens CBD-infused latte ‘The Inner Peace’ — which is a matcha drink — and the ‘Lit From Within’ —which is espresso-based — are our top sellers.”
Drink Beauty’s concoctions don’t just rely on caffeine to provide a boost. Servers adorn drinks with colorful foam drawings and sayings like “You Look Good,” “Fall In Love” and “Babe.” Drinks range in price from $2.50 for a cup of coffee to $8 for a specialty latte.
“I think we are trying to create an experience,” said Coleman. “We definitely are the coffee shop that you can run into each morning and grab your daily coffee to go, but we also strive to provide a space where people can gather and stay awhile.”
Drink Beauty also offers a unique line of edible CBD products that promise to bring wellness for those with anxiety issues, sleeplessness, stress and more. The addition of CBD to offerings is definitely on trend. According to a March 2019 report, U.S. sales of CBD, or cannabidiol — a natural, non-psychoactive component of the cannabis plant — is projected to reach $16 billion by 2025.
“This number is a marked jump from the estimated retail sales of CBD consumer products in 2018 that ranged between $600 million and $2 billion,” the report noted.
“I do think CBD is a growing trend, and it’s important to us that we educate our customer on the fact that while there are many different CBD companies out there, many [products] aren’t tested for purity or consistency,” said Coleman. “The company we work with is one of the very few in the marketplace that is pesticide free and lab tested. That’s very important to us.”
New menu items and merchandise on are the way, with the duo looking to expand customers’ experiences.
“We are constantly tweaking our menu and adding new seasonal items,” said Coleman. “We’ve branched a lot into food, such as salads and avocado toast, so people can come for coffee and stay for lunch. We’re really excited about that.”
Drink Beauty relies heavily on social media, specifically Instagram, to convey the company’s vision and brand.
“Our target customer is anyone who wants a great experience and a great photo op,” Colhoun said. “Beyond award-winning coffee beans, we thrive on our specialty lattes and the smiles on our customers’ faces when they come have drinks with us.”
In addition to the café’s menu of drink and food, retail items that will appeal to fashionistas, gift for girlfriends or inexpensive splurge for yourself are available, many featuring the store’s iconic lipstick print. Items range from a $12 tote bag to sparkly candles at $38 and apparel, such as sweatshirts (around $70) and tees ($15).
All items are available for order online and can be picked up in store (exclusively for café drinks and food items), or shipped for convenience.
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DID YOU KNOW?
“A National Restaurant Association survey found that 3 in 4 chefs named CBD- and cannabis-infused food as a hot trend in 2019.” According to a CNBC April 2019 report.
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