We at The Black Coffee Company wanted to do a little Q&A to accompany the official launch of our newest product category: K-Cup Pods. Please enjoy and submit any questions you have.
Contact@TheBlackCoffeeCompany.com
Q: Why K-Cups and why now?
A: Since we are a specialty gourmet coffee company, our focus is on converting customers to high quality whole bean coffee that can be ground fresh and brewed at home. Operating with a growth mindset, we conduct research and keep up with coffee education and industry trends. To that end, our research and customer obsession, coupled with this unique pandemic scenario led us to incorporate a glaringly obvious commodity – convenience!
Q: Are you the only Black Owned Coffee Company offering K-Cups?
A: As far as we know, we are the only company offering branded K-Cups for order. There seems to be a gap within our demographic, so we dug deep and met the challenge head-on to bring customers what they wanted.
Q: How challenging was it to add this new product category to your lineup?
A: It was tedious and took a long time to find the right equipment, the right (reliable) suppliers, and test the product. Our goal is to deliver consistency and quality regardless of the coffee derivative. Ground + brew should be no different than single-serve pods, with respect to quality. This was the most important part of the process. Settling on quality and taste consistency for the range of cup sizes brewed in a Keurig was something we knew would be crucial to the success of the pods. Encouragement and support from our customers, friends, and family made this labor of love worth every long night in the "R&D Lab" my bedroom ;)
Q: Why are pods so expensive?
A: The amount of work that goes into K-Cup manufacturing is massive. The costs are also very surprising. Every business wants to cater to customer requests, but it must make sense for the business as well. Pods made sense statistically, but being a small business, we had to source materials and negotiate contracts with cost in mind so that we could make the product affordable for our loving customers. We employed the best in us to tackle numerous issues (namely shipping and packaging) and to make a way out of no way!
Some of the major cost contributors are:
· Consumable materials: Cups, Lids, Raw Coffee
· Packaging materials: Boxes, tape, shipping labels (paper, ink etc.)
· Shipping: Small businesses are being hit hard
Other costs that are not counted in the price of the pods are: labor, storage, equipment, etc.
Q: Is there anything else about Black Coffee Pods we should know?
A: Our pods are born out of a desire to continually pivot our business and learn the ropes. All we do, we do for our people… learn it, share it, empower the culture! While pricing may discourage some, please know that we are doing all we can to refine operations and pass on savings to our customers. We have a great product and a portion of all proceeds go toward empowering the community! Our growth strategy demands that we innovate, but our mission directs us to protect our consumers through fairness and transparency! Please spread the word and give our K-cups a try... you wont be disappointed!!!