Single And Lovin' It! Another Coffee Company Establishes A Lifestyle

Coffee lovers are feeling the need to be single... at least at their coffee machines. And there's one company in particular that's driving the the single-cup lifestyle. This company makes an automatic single-cup coffee maker (the "razor") and a patented package for the coffee it brews (the "razor blades").

 

The Concept/Business Plan That's Leading The Single-Cup Lifestyle

Inventors and entrepreneurs: If you want to follow a tremendous business model, look no further than the Green Mountain Coffee Company, parent of the Keurig Company!

This time it's Keurig, not Starbucks, that's leading the coffee revolution in private homes, offices, hotels, and other hospitality settings throughout the world. Keurig doesn't set up coffee shops on every other street corner, or on all four corners of a city block; Keurig makes the razor - the single-cup coffee brewer --

 

 

 

and the blades -- the patented packaging for the coffee. Perhaps you've heard of these little packages of coffee... they are called K-Cups®.

 

 

This is how the K-Cups work in the Keurig brewing systems....

 

 

Sure, another innovator can come up with a new system and just sell the coffee of its parent company, like Keurig does with Green Mountain Coffee, in its patented single-cup packaging. But Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee Company are smarter than that. They license the patented packaging system to competitor coffee companies as well, like Timothy's, Gloria Jean's, Emeril's, Diedrich, and other brands. And then there are the tea companies that package their teas in K-Cups: Twinings, Bigelow, Celestial Seasonings... And hot cocoa K-Cups from Bellaccino and others....

 

The Products At The Center Of The Single-Cup Lifestyle

 

The Keurig Brewing System

But enough about the business model; let's get into the system. Keurig makes a few models for its single-cup brewer, but I like the features of the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System best for home use.

First, the Keurig is automated. No pouring, waiting, pouring, wating... only to have to put your finished cup o' joe in the microwave to heat. The Keurig B60 heats and brews all at once and keeps your coffee or other beverage ready to drink.

 

Unlike many full-size automated coffee pots, the Keurig B60 has a removable water reservoir so you don't need to use a separate container to pour water into the reservoir. And, even though the B60 only makes one cup of coffee at a time, the reservoir holds up to 48 ounces the water's right there ready for the next cup when you are!

 

 

The K-Cups

The B60 uses the Keurig patented, pre-filled K-Cups for its brew. Don't screw up your face just yet. If you're thinking of that bland stuff they call coffee in the pre-filled coffee pods, that's so yesterday! K-Cups are custom-packaged with a range of gourmet coffees wider than Starbucks' varieties. The spectrum of coffee makers that license the K-Cup technology can match nearly every consumer's need for flavor, strength, and bouquet.

You may want to start with a variety of coffees, like
the Diedrich Coffee Variety Pack of Medium and Dark Roasts, K-Cup for Keurig Brewers, 25-Count Boxes.

The K-Cup enters the Keunig brewing system here:

 

 

Insert the K-Cup and you're ready to brew.

 

 

The K-Cup Carousel

And Keurig has made a clever K-Cup Spinning Carousel in chrome that holds 27 K-Cups, a divine solution for variety lovers who will win with every spin.

 

 

My K-Cup

If you would like to use a coffee, tea, or hot cocoa that's not pre-packaged in the K-cups, no problem. Keurig makes My K-Cup, a wire mesh individual coffee filter with the plastic holder and cap to press the coffee through the filter.

 

 

 

The Kap

Independent entrepreneurs are inspired to create gadgets for the Keurig single-cup coffee brewer.

An independent designer of the "Kap," for example, tries to get more mileage out of each pre-filled K-Cup. His device requires you to retain everything except the foil and the coffee grounds of your used K-Cups. Then, by cleaning the filter of the K-Cup and refurbishing the ground coffee from your own stock, you can reuse the K-Cup simply by placing the Kap on top of the K-Cup and putting it into the brewer for up to 10 times. This, the entrepreneur/inventor postulates would reduce the cost of each brew from up to $.50 to $.10.

 

 

Let's re-visit the Keurig Home-Brewing System in six months or a year. I predict it will grow even more and that you will find the single-cup system for serving brewed beverages in cafes and restaurants. In the meantime, if the invention or plan leaves you with no fresh ideas of your own, at least you might try this new system to make yourself a single cup of coffee at home with your favorite grind.