Guest blog by Peter Middlecamp of Black Sheep Coffee Cafe and Roasters.
Why?
The number one question I got was why? Why are you trying to make single serving coffee great? Isn’t it good enough? Do you think people will care about quality?
Initially no, I didn’t. The first couple hundred cups I tried were awful. I bought a “variety pack” I tasted my way through “top 100 k-cups” as recommended online. Not good. Not anywhere close to the quality of coffee I wanted to serve my friends, family, church-choir mates, etc.
Even despite genuine affection for George and genuine excitement for our 100% compostable packaging- brand new and patented! A genuine innovation- I just couldn’t be bothered. The single serve coffee industry has a terrible reputation for producing trash, squeezing producers, and not delivering on their promise of quality.
And then it happened- one great cup. I took some Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, ground fine and sifted to offer some but not too much resistance to the finicky Keurig brewer, packed by hand on an analytical balance, and sealed. As the brew started the room filled with aromatic jasmine and blueberry flavors. As I sipped and tested this coffee- I realized that it was absolutely acceptable, even excellent in flavor.
When I offered this to George for the first time he went silent for about 30 seconds, and then muttered, almost laughing “That’s pretty f#(%ing good!”
Right then we knew. It’s coming.
We’re coming to save you. You’re stuck in the office, or at the cabin, and you need a cup of coffee. But not just an O.K. cup. Something delicious that won’t pollute. A beautiful hand made cup that you can take with you hiking, on business, airtight and shelf stable.
Right now we’re working on new coffees, new innovations, a new industry. We want to see local roasters across the globe able to offer their coffees in compostable packaging and promoting specialty coffee- truly special coffee that respects where it comes from and where it is going.
More to come.