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What do you think of a Specialty Coffee Starter Kit?
brennn
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 03/05/2015 12:51 PM
Hi all,

Quick question for everyone reading:

If you could purchase a specialty coffee starter kit (<$50), would you purchase one? Or if you went back to your first days of drinking coffee, would you have purchased a Specialty Coffee Starter Kit if it was cheaper than $50?

The starter kit would include:
(1) Manual Burr Grinder
(1) Pour-Over Cone
(1) Set of Pour-Over Filters
(1) Bag of Freshly Roasted Coffee
 
ginny
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Posted on 03/05/2015 1:43 PM
well unless I knew what "starter kit" you were talking about no I would never.

and I would not regardless because I roast coffee and have all the starter stuff I need.

don't buy into someone's marketing scam of "starter."

build your own quiver carefully after reviewing what you may want and how others have faired and ask questions always and often.


ginny


beach
 
JETROASTER
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 03/05/2015 2:00 PM
If I were to create a specialty coffee kit....I would go ahead and jump right to a home roasting starter kit.
Fresh is where the magic is.
Great question. Cheers, Scott
 
jkoll42
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Posted on 03/05/2015 2:30 PM
For me looking back probably not. My entry into "specialty coffee" and then homeroasting was a progression.

Random store beans in a random coffee maker
Grinding local roasters beans at the store and using random machine
Buying a lower end electric burr grinder (which repeatedly was returned as it broke all the time)
Switching to a Chemex
A steady downward spiral into coffee madness

I really don't think I would have jumped on a starter kit like you described. I also don't think there is really any way to put that together for less than $50 retail and make any good margin on it.
-Jon
Honey badger 1k, Bunn LPG-2E, Technivorm, Cimbali Max Hybrid, ECM Synchronika w/ Flow Control
 
ginny
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Posted on 03/05/2015 3:22 PM
You have been roasting for a while now, what have you been using to brew with up to this point.

not sure you want to go back to something "starter."


ginny
 
brennn
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Posted on 03/06/2015 7:53 AM
I can keep it below $50/kit if I source cheap items from China. For example, they make a cheap burr grinder and cheap pour over cones. I think one of the major hurdles of specialty coffee drinkers is that they are daunted by the price of everything.

And once they start enjoying the splendors of freshly ground, pour-over brewed coffee, they'll take the next step toward the more expensive supplies.
 
JETROASTER
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 03/06/2015 3:12 PM
If I'm understanding correctly, this is driven by the desire to attract "graduating" coffee drinkers. With that in mind, I'll take a different tack;

Where are they actually graduating from? The answer might be Keurig. The numbers are staggering....and there are the beginnings of a backlash. Not against single serve, but rather against the waste, lack of choice, and proprietary zeal of Keurig.
http://www.killth...
I feel that single serve is not going away. People really would like better, fresher coffee and more choice, but they typically lean toward convenience. A starter kit centered around this reality might be the path to a larger audience.
Cheers, Scott
http://www.amazon...B000DLB2FI
 
ginny
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Posted on 03/07/2015 7:59 AM
Hi:

guess I missed the point that you were creating the "starter kit."

I must agree with Scott here on all counts. Besides the lack of choice with the single serve is that all, with few exception, taste alike; the coffee is not fresh and is basically instant.

Most who use the Keurig type machine do it for one reason, it is easy and all is disposable.

Getting that population to change will not be easy; they are simply not interested in pour over, French Press, Aero Press or anything else.

Most who start to roast know how they like their coffee brewed.

Quote

The starter kit would include:
(1) Manual Burr Grinder
(1) Pour-Over Cone
(1) Set of Pour-Over Filters
(1) Bag of Freshly Roasted Coffee


As Scott mentioned where do you believe your customer base will be found? I think there is a market for almost anything coffee but trust me when I tell you that a cheap burr grinder is the bottom of any roasters list. The grinder is the hub of all that you like about fresh coffee.

Try to put one together with better components and see what you would need to charge, offer other brew methods not simply pour over as the only choice.


Quote

I think one of the major hurdles of specialty coffee drinkers is that they are daunted by the price of everything.


The above remark is, in my mind, not a true statement. Look at the money Starbuck charges for what many believe is the best coffee. I had an espresso at a Starbucks a few week ago in Scottsdale and it was awful, simply horrid.

The average home roaster's coffee is 10 times better...



ginny




beach


remember that most new home roasters do a lot of research so you want to ofer them something really good at a value, not cheap.
 
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