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Yet another startup that throws tech at a non-issue. People buying cheap coffee just do that when doing their groceries. And people buying expensive ones are pr

Yet another startup that throws tech at a non-issue. People buying cheap coffee just do that when doing their groceries. And people buying expensive ones are probably inclined to try new ones based on recommendations of their local dedicated store. Congratulations, you removed chit-chat with the clerk, smelling the different varieties of products, buying something unplanned, i.e. what’s make interesting to go buying coffee. To add insult to the injury you even charge for a monthly subscription, which is quite expensive if you compare to any real service (Netflix, a vps vm, iCloud storage, etc.)

hyperpape 8y ago
I’m a big coffee fan, but my routine leaves me buying whatever is fresh from Counter Culture at Whole Foods. I don’t make regular trips to a coffee shop, because it doesn’t fit my schedule. If many of those roasters are decent, this would give me more variety. And today I definitely end up running out of beans at inconvenient times. Price: I brew at home, and buy roughly two bags a month, typically $11-14/bag. So I’d at least consider this.
- benatkin 8y ago
  It sounds like you're closer to being able to find a use for this than many, because you like to have the same brand of coffee. Some coffee lovers like me like variety, not just within a brand, but across brands.
  - hyperpape 8y ago
    It's not that I like to have the same roaster, it's that I typically only have access to one high quality roaster that's fresh. When I go to a coffeeshop that's downtown or another city, I often get different roasters. That's just not my routine.
- tedmiston 8y ago
  One thing to be mindful of is the roast date. Whole Foods might be better at this than others (I'm not sure) but many grocery stores, even high-end specialty ones, have coffee sitting on their shelves that was roasted 3–6 months ago. Even worse, sometimes the roast date will be omitted from the bag entirely (or replaced by an arbitrary made-up "best by" date) because the coffee is embarrassingly old. A good third wave shop will sell beans with a roast date of about a week or less. Most baristas recommend beans tasting best when used within 2–3 weeks of roast date. I suspect you'll get much fresher beans ordering through a service like Bottomless that drop ships directly from the roaster. It might be something you've never thought about until you've tasted the difference between freshly roasted vs not. Not everyone cares about freshness but it's very important to me.
  - hyperpape 8y ago
    Agreed on both points. Counter Culture labels its coffee with roast date and is local, which is part of the reason it’s one of the only coffees I buy at the grocery store: they always have something I like, usually roasted within 4-14 days. If bottomless is doing this right, everything will be towards the lower end of that range, so that’s a draw.
geofft 8y ago
I'm on the side that this is a non-issue, but, experimentally the market (especially if they expand beyond coffee) is larger than you think. People absolutely pay for home delivery of groceries. People absolutely pay for delivery when they could just drive/walk/bike/whatever. People pay >$100/year for Amazon Prime when they could just go to the corner store or Wal-Mart or Target. People pay for meal kits when they could go to the grocery store and pick out vegetables themselves. I myself usually do the latter, but there's definitely a market for people doing the former. Also, don't forget the people who are busy with multiple jobs or families or long commutes; I can go to the store and chit chat because I'm in my 20s and single, but not everyone finds that a worthwhile experience. (Also, as a coffee drinker, usually I want a good brand of coffee I know I like over serendipity, anyway.)
ClassyJacket 8y ago
I don't necessarily disagree that this might be too niche to be a viable business, but I think you're being overly dismissive and ignoring that there is at least some market for people who do just want to restock the same coffee all the time. You could apply your argument to any consumable item, it isn't coffee-specific. Lots of people figure out the one they like and stick with it. I know people who order the same coffee all the time. Is it a big enough inconvenience for them to need it automated? I don't know. But they don't care about chit chat with clerks.
seizethecheese 8y ago
You're basically making an argument against all e-commerce.
- thenickevans 8y ago
  Lol
tedmiston 8y ago
> And people buying expensive ones are probably inclined to try new ones based on recommendations of their local dedicated store. Local third wave coffee shops can only afford to stock a small variety from a small number of roasters due to the short lifespan of freshly roasted coffee. There are several online multi-roaster coffee marketplaces e.g., Crema.co, because the broad variety problem is not feasible to solve locally. If you know that you like a fairly specific kind of coffee, like a natural process fruit-forward Ethiopian, you are lucky to find 1-2 versions of this locally at a given time whereas online you might find a dozen or more. The best thing you can do to support your local shop is buy their freshly brewed coffee or espresso drinks (and tip the baristas well). Much more of their profit comes from that than bulk beans. I support both personally and don't see them as conflicting with each other.

hyperpape 8y ago

I’m a big coffee fan, but my routine leaves me buying whatever is fresh from Counter Culture at Whole Foods. I don’t make regular trips to a coffee shop, because it doesn’t fit my schedule. If many of those roasters are decent, this would give me more variety. And today I definitely end up running out of beans at inconvenient times. Price: I brew at home, and buy roughly two bags a month, typically $11-14/bag. So I’d at least consider this.

benatkin 8y ago
It sounds like you're closer to being able to find a use for this than many, because you like to have the same brand of coffee. Some coffee lovers like me like variety, not just within a brand, but across brands.
- hyperpape 8y ago
  It's not that I like to have the same roaster, it's that I typically only have access to one high quality roaster that's fresh. When I go to a coffeeshop that's downtown or another city, I often get different roasters. That's just not my routine.
tedmiston 8y ago
One thing to be mindful of is the roast date. Whole Foods might be better at this than others (I'm not sure) but many grocery stores, even high-end specialty ones, have coffee sitting on their shelves that was roasted 3–6 months ago. Even worse, sometimes the roast date will be omitted from the bag entirely (or replaced by an arbitrary made-up "best by" date) because the coffee is embarrassingly old. A good third wave shop will sell beans with a roast date of about a week or less. Most baristas recommend beans tasting best when used within 2–3 weeks of roast date. I suspect you'll get much fresher beans ordering through a service like Bottomless that drop ships directly from the roaster. It might be something you've never thought about until you've tasted the difference between freshly roasted vs not. Not everyone cares about freshness but it's very important to me.
- hyperpape 8y ago
  Agreed on both points. Counter Culture labels its coffee with roast date and is local, which is part of the reason it’s one of the only coffees I buy at the grocery store: they always have something I like, usually roasted within 4-14 days. If bottomless is doing this right, everything will be towards the lower end of that range, so that’s a draw.

geofft 8y ago

I'm on the side that this is a non-issue, but, experimentally the market (especially if they expand beyond coffee) is larger than you think. People absolutely pay for home delivery of groceries. People absolutely pay for delivery when they could just drive/walk/bike/whatever. People pay >$100/year for Amazon Prime when they could just go to the corner store or Wal-Mart or Target. People pay for meal kits when they could go to the grocery store and pick out vegetables themselves. I myself usually do the latter, but there's definitely a market for people doing the former. Also, don't forget the people who are busy with multiple jobs or families or long commutes; I can go to the store and chit chat because I'm in my 20s and single, but not everyone finds that a worthwhile experience. (Also, as a coffee drinker, usually I want a good brand of coffee I know I like over serendipity, anyway.)

ClassyJacket 8y ago

I don't necessarily disagree that this might be too niche to be a viable business, but I think you're being overly dismissive and ignoring that there is at least some market for people who do just want to restock the same coffee all the time. You could apply your argument to any consumable item, it isn't coffee-specific. Lots of people figure out the one they like and stick with it. I know people who order the same coffee all the time. Is it a big enough inconvenience for them to need it automated? I don't know. But they don't care about chit chat with clerks.

seizethecheese 8y ago

You're basically making an argument against all e-commerce.

thenickevans 8y ago
Lol

tedmiston 8y ago

> And people buying expensive ones are probably inclined to try new ones based on recommendations of their local dedicated store. Local third wave coffee shops can only afford to stock a small variety from a small number of roasters due to the short lifespan of freshly roasted coffee. There are several online multi-roaster coffee marketplaces e.g., Crema.co, because the broad variety problem is not feasible to solve locally. If you know that you like a fairly specific kind of coffee, like a natural process fruit-forward Ethiopian, you are lucky to find 1-2 versions of this locally at a given time whereas online you might find a dozen or more. The best thing you can do to support your local shop is buy their freshly brewed coffee or espresso drinks (and tip the baristas well). Much more of their profit comes from that than bulk beans. I support both personally and don't see them as conflicting with each other.