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Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

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Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#81

Post by danielvinson »

zloof wrote: post #48
startupdiscuss wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes the market speaks REALLY clearly! (1) I, too, would love to try it out. This does mean that if it is not much better than my Keurig (wasteful) single use, I may not re-up. Would be interested to see. (2) Also, would be great if the trial packets were available someplace that already had my credit card (like Amazon). (3) Do you have half-cafs?

Co-founder here - love the idea of having trial packets some place that's easier to buy, like Amazon. Will think on that. We do want to make it a lot easier to try (see my comment above) - figuring out the best ways to do that.

Use the same model as Soylent... they have a very good system.

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#82

Post by zloof »

msencenb wrote: post #77

My two cents from a sustainability perspective. My girlfriend and I would never consider something like this due to the high volume of plastic involved. Can you make the containers compostable?

Working on it. We do individual servings because they preserve freshness - that's the only reason we do it. It's hard for us to do compostable since we are still very small compared to your average consumer good, but we are 100% committed to doing it when we are big enough. We even have 2 sustainability advisors involved with the company.

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#83

Post by freese »

JasonSage wrote: post #57
huhtenberg wrote: post #21

Wasn't a problem with "bad" instant coffee largely solved by Starbucks VIA, which too utilizes a novel tech that produces very decent results? Even the mega snobs of /r/coffee were largely OK with it came out few years ago. Also, re: this - Instant coffee is liquid coffee that’s been dehydrated. It’s normally made with the worst beans ... Next, the liquid is boiled down and finally dehydrated by spray drying it with…

I actually liked Starbucks VIA until I got violently sick off of it once. I'd probably try it again though, it was pretty darn good for instant coffee.

I agree with you here. VIA is not bad - it tastes remarkably similar to what you'd get at a Starbucks. I think it's up to everyone to determine whether that's coffee they like or not

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#84

Post by mark-r »

zloof wrote: post #44
ryduh wrote: post #2

Hi Kalle, I love my daily pour over, so I might not be your target market, but I'd definitely be interested in purchasing a few coffees without a subscription. Have you thought about offering that?

Co-founder of Sudden here. This question comes up a lot. We have tried offering one-time purchases and it didn't work very well/ wasn't sustainable for us. 3 reasons we believe in a subscription model: 1) A big reason we started this company together was our shared belief in making customers feel good through hospitality. It's more than just the coffee itself. We want to build a better experience - if you are a Sudde…

A subscription also doesn't allow for any fluctuation in demand. If you're having a bunch of people over and want to offer them great coffee, how do you do that without depriving yourself for the rest of the month?

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#86

Post by freese »

jongold wrote: post #67

Super impressed with this - one of my coworkers has been giving out samples of it, it's absolutely perfect for mornings when I'm in too much of a rush to deal with grinding / brewing, and also for camping trips.

Awesome - really happy to hear that! I use it every morning at home and it's soooo easy.

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#87

Post by iamacynic »

alaskamiller wrote: post #22

I work in the coffee industry and saw Sudden pop up last year so was interested in the technique and hacked it out. Freeze dried coffee is already what Folgers does and sell you. This is the more artisanal version of that since the big brands have big factories that can pump out plenty of instant coffee grounds. So this is a ramped up volume play on existing techniques perfected by the doomsday preppers. Youtube sear…

none of the things you just mentioned are easy or cheap, so i feel like minimizing the "what they're doing" part is a bit strange, or maybe that's just how i read your text. most businesses when analyzed on paper like this are very simple, or are re-packaging existing ideas. that's not something i would put against a business idea.

having said that, the primary reason i pound cold brew instead of making 2 or 3 aeropresses every morning is because i don't like boiling water, and grinding, and waiting, and cleaning up. some people find it all very mindful and relaxing and zen and whatever, but for me it's just a pain in the ass, so for me personally $2.50 for something i could just pay $1 (on average) in a big concentrated cold brew growler is perhaps a weird price point.

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#88

Post by zloof »

mrbill wrote: post #61

Any chance of offering a "test drive" purchase, so I can check out the product before committing to a subscription?

If you go to this secret link you can get a 2-cup trial that auto-converts to a subscription in 21 days.

https://www.suddencoffee.com/?trial=true

We are experimenting with ways to let people try it first - so more solutions are coming!

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#89

Post by freese »

elnygren wrote: post #39

Hi Kalle, the best coffee I ever had was an espresso macchiato at Freese Coffee in Freesenkatu (Helsinki, Finland - and yeah, that guy's lastname and company's name matches the street name due to some history). I used to live couple blocks away. Awesome stuff :) Please, don't offer these only with subscription. Let me do one-off purchases and you have me as a customer.

Hahaa! Really happy to hear that :) Thanks for the feedback re: one-off.

Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck

#90

Post by freese »

mythrwy wrote: post #27

Instant coffee can actually be good (although right now almost all of it is downright horrendous). (sorry, have to mention competing product). Nescafe Tasters Choice in the single packs I find very acceptable and often prefer to brewed coffee. So I'm pretty sure good instant coffee can be done. Be very interested to see what can really be done with an even higher quality product as this outfit appears to be doing. No…

Thanks for the feedback! We chose the subscription model partly because that allows us to use

1) really high-quality coffee 2) not cut corners in the process 3) Sell it at the lowest possible price to you guys

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