Emma Chamberlain is omnipresent, and it's likely that you've seen her face at least once these past few weeks. After interviewing celebs on the Met Gala red carpet for Vogue, the 21-year-old YouTuber and burgeoning businesswoman went viral for her iconic exchange with rapper Jack Harlow. That then earned her an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. That same day, she returned to YouTube to much fanfare after a six-month hiatus.
In addition to her physical presence, you've likely spotted Chamberlain's moniker at the grocery store. In 2019, the influencer founded her own coffee brand called Chamberlain Coffee. Since then, her business has partnered with the likes of Bodum, OffLimits Cereal, Nutpods, and now, the zero-sugar beverage company Swoon.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
During an event celebrating the launch of the Swoon Matcha Lemonade — which is made with Chamberlain Coffee's very own matcha — we caught up with Chamberlain herself to discuss all things home and coffee.
Hunker: What inspired you to do this collaboration with Swoon?
EC: I actually found Swoon organically at Erewhon because I always pick out a new drink when I get lunch there. Swoon caught my eye because [it includes] monk fruit, which is a new ingredient that's popping off, and I thought it was intriguing. I tried it and fell in love. I first started out with the pink lemonade — I was obsessed and would buy cases on Amazon nonstop. I also got into the ginger one and it was a heavy part of my rotation.
Then, [my team] started talking with Swoon. Meanwhile, I'm experimenting with my Swoon drinks — I mixed the classic lemonade with matcha and loved it … It was obvious on my social media and videos that I was obsessed with them. It was a very organic development and obvious to do a matcha lemonade because it was already on my mind.
Hunker: What does a day at home look like for you? Are there certain items or foods you always gravitate toward?
EC: The moment I wake up, I go downstairs to make my morning beverage, which is always either a cold brew, cortado, or matcha latte (with almond milk and Nutpods, of course). Sometimes I start working immediately, either recording my podcast, taking meetings, editing YouTube videos, or going to shoots. When I don't start work immediately, I exercise.
During the afternoon, I sit in my office, have a few too many Swoon x Chamberlain Coffee Matcha Lemonades, and get as much done as I can before I tire myself out and start making dinner. I've been making a lot of homemade pesto recently — I eat it with everything, so my dinner usually consists of anything with pesto slathered all over it. Then I relax for the rest of the night in whatever way feels most exciting for me. Sometimes I watch YouTube videos, sometimes I read, sometimes I organize a closet, and sometimes I call someone I love on the phone.
Hunker: How do you organize your fridge? I've heard you also have your very own drink fridge.
EC: Keeping my refrigerator organized is a huge priority for me. I'm much more likely to cook when I know what I have in my fridge. I keep all of my condiments on the door of my fridge, which is mainly too many types of hot sauce. I have a fruit drawer, a vegetable drawer, a protein drawer, and a cheese/pickle/olive drawer (which is my personal favorite). I always have eggs, Parmesan cheese, hummus, and berries in my fridge. Those are my most consistently stocked items.
Hunker: Are there any home trends that you absolutely hate?
EC: Too many throw pillows — that needs to go. That actually makes my blood boil.
I think people should take the time to find pieces that mean something instead of spending a lot of money on pieces you're going to get bored of. You never get bored of stuff that truly means something to you, so there's longevity in that … I have a whole blank wall in my house because I just haven't found art that speaks to me for that area. Don't just buy something to fill the space. Take your time — you're going to be fine with a blank wall for a few months.
Buying things that are expensive and trendy, there's a world where that makes sense. But if you really want something to always mean something — and furniture should mean something to you — a lot of times it's cheaper to have these pieces that you find.
Hunker: Do you have any future projects you can talk about?
EC: A lot of Chamberlain Coffee stuff. I'm always doing my podcast and dabbling in YouTube when I feel like it, but I think what I'm trying to build on is Chamberlain Coffee. I'm trying to make it more of an experience, where people can show up and experience the product. [I'm also into] creating cool merch that goes with everything and accessories for your coffee.
We came up with this idea — it's a subscription, every month you get coffee, and each month there's a new artist on the front of the coffee bag. It's mixing home decor with coffee — a little art piece on your counter. It combines everything I love in life: art, home decor, coffee. It's more than just coffee, which is what we want to do at the end of the day.
I picked all the artists and a lot of them have been doing commissions for us. They've been making us something new, which I wasn't even expecting — I told them to just send us whatever they had. It's also cool because we're all winning from that.
Hunker: Who are the artists?
Our first artist, her Instagram is @jusslim_. She was making these animations of me on Instagram and I was obsessed with them. She would put me in a Van Gogh painting or put me in my bedroom and make animations out of them. So when we decided we wanted to do this, I was like, 'She has to be the first one.'" I think she lives in the Philippines now and I feel so connected to her even though she's so far away. That's a really unique opportunity, to get to work with people from wherever. That's a beautiful thing about technology now.