How Starbucks Just Ruined the Re-Launch of a Marketing Career

Best laid plans yada yada yada...

At the risk of sounding self-serving (or perhaps sour-grapey in cuppers' terms), for the record, last week we had a brainstorm resulting in an idea that to the best of our knowledge has never been attempted:  Subscription Coffee. 

The point was to seeing whether coffee lovers would buy - in advance - a year's worth of great varietal coffees brewed on a Clover.  Like our AM Aldo card, except on a much larger scale and not limited to a certain time of day.

Subscribers would front a membership fee and get about double the value of their investment in coffee and other benefits over the course of their year-long membership.  We'd collect enough in advance so that buying an $11,000 Clover brewer wouldn't get in the way of  necessary expenses.  Everybody wins.

It was an intriguing idea and one we planned to run up the flagpole next week.  There was a lot to like in terms of benefits that a coffee lover would get by subscribing in advance. If we had 25 folks interested, we would've fronted the rest.  But getting 40 subscribers would've been even better.

But none of that matters now because the idea is not going to happen:  Starbucks bought the company that makes the Clover. 

Within the industry the news of Starbucks purchase was met with mixed emotions.

As for us, we're glad Pittsburgh at least has one of the non-Starbucked Clovers.  It's likely to be the only one in town for quite some time.  Until the next "best thing ever" single cup brewer comes around.

Given we're not interested in having a Clover machine in our shop now that it'll carry Starbucks branding, we were hesitant to post about this idea.  But then we thought, what the hey.  Maybe somebody does still want to try to get an $11,000 Clover or even a $20,000 vac pot heating element and doesn't want to go in the hole to do so.  So we're putting the idea out there in case anyone wants to steal it. 

With proper attribution of course, so that we can add the press to our marketing resume ;-)

Anyway, not to worry.  Our not getting a Clover doesn't mean we're not going to continue pushing the boundaries of presenting great coffees to folks in the South Hills.  We do have an alternate plan that's just as interesting for coffee lovers -  actually it was Plan A before this brainstorm.  You'll hear more about it after the USBCs in May.  Meantime, we've still got three or four unique coffees a week available by press pot. Enjoy!

Comments

Shouldn't it be "How The Coffee Equipment Company Just Ruined the Re-Launch of a Marketing Career"?

[Rich]

Technically, you're probably correct. But it doesn't flow off the tongue as well ;-)

[Russ]

Why does the 'bucks buying Clover have to ruin subscription coffee? The idea is solid, especially if done in monthly increments (something I've played with on and off for awhile here--great minds think alike). Why not use the upfront to buy a couple of Melitta stands and scales for accurate and beautiful pour-over on demand? Certainly, it isn't as fast as Clover, but it does have the same potential for visual display and barista craft, especially using porcelain (spelling not so good) pour-overs instead of the nasty plasty.

[Rich]

Russ,
Good point. I suppose our thinking is that we're fortunate to be able to just write a check for the smaller stuff so the administration of a club would be an unnecessary added expense. With an $11K piece of equipment, the thinking would be different.
We like pourover stations and expect to offer a Melitta option (but perhaps not with the stand). Our location and resulting customer base calls for a different approach that we'd already decided on prior to taking this last run at the Clover. It should be operational by June and we expect it to be the only such treatment in the area.

[Sean]

Well, since I didn't win the Astra GA I guess I might as well buy an aeropress. Let me know when you want me to get to work on the auto-aeropress. It will have an adjustable hot water on demand system, of course.

Who needs a clover when you have 20 air ram powered coffee frisbees. That would make you the first in the world to have an aeropress bar, wouldn't it?

(on a side note, I'm looking for a lead on a used 110v 1grp catering machine...)

[Rich]

Catering machine? You can always rent ours if there's no conflict.

If you could do a 220v, somebody on CG had a San Marco 2-group for $900 - those things are volume beasts and make pretty nice drinks.

I was more concerned you'd sell the Murraynator IP to Starbucks and you would stop offering technical support for ours!

On the Aeropress, since the inventor actually recommends using 175F tap water, all we'd need is a spare faucet and a hose ;-)