I'd like to try it for backpacking, but not interested in a subscription. Give an option to purchase a sample pack.
Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
121–130 of 394 posts
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
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?
Good point. It's a work in progress, and we're exploring what's the best model. You can always order me by emailing us. We just saw that having a one-off model completely cannibalized our new subscriptions. Email me if you want to order a one-off and I can hook you up ;)
Wouldn't that indicate that you are missing out on a significant portion of your market? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what 'completely cannibalized'means but, personally, I'd probably follow the money; because that's where your market seems to be. Subscriptions can be good, especially if your product is sticky, but why ignore the demand for single orders?
Perhaps having packs of 10/25/50 is a viable road. After all, what's so different about sending out kits monthly to a subscriber vs sending one out to someone who purchased a month supply as a test?
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#123Maybe I'm biased, as a fellow YC founder, but I don't understand the negativity.
1) Sudden is the first company that I've actually considered buying instant coffee from. In the US, there's a pretty strong stigma against it, so that's not an easy task.
2) $3 per cup isn't a lot of money, roughly equivalent to a cup of coffee elsewhere in SF. Especially if I don't have to stop anywhere and can just put it in a water bottle. Actually this would be great for camping.
3) I have no idea how they are making it, but having read numerous writings by the founders, this sounds a lot harder than I imagined.
4) Having spoken to many investors, fellow founders, and others, this is really compelling to a lot of people. Again, I live in the bubble of Silicon Valley, but "better, faster coffee" doesn't feel like an elitist product.
I'm all for Sudden Coffee being successful.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
Define 'tastes good/bad'
anything Keurig. It's watery gruel that smells awful and lacks flavor.
Keurig is several orders of magnitude better than instant and can be bought for as low as 50 cents a cup.
At Sudden's 8 cups for $19 it is CHEAPER for me to buy a quality pour over at the local cafe where they charge $2.25 a cup.
Also this appears to be targeting "coffee snobs"; most of that crowd isn't interested in instant coffee.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#125I'd love to try this, but minimum $19/mo subscription as the only "Buy Now" option?
I'm with you. I'd only want this sporadically, like when I'm camping and traveling or to give as gifts. I don't need it on a monthly basis and I feel conflicted about having to sign up only to cancel (and how easy is that?) within a month.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
The design is fine. Certain things can be tweaked but great web design isn't really going to drive the product. The taste, market-fit and brand probably have more impact. I'd suggest offering samples for a small price. Convincing customers about the taste with only a website can be an uphill battle unless they've been recommended the product, or actually tasted it. Perhaps free taste samples in stores can be a sales…
Thanks for the suggestion! We're exploring what we can do here. Ideally we'd love to make sampling really easy & inexpensive but with our current costs it's simply not feasible right now.
There must be some price where you would break even shipping out a single tube.
You could charge that amount for a sample, even if you consider it overpriced.
You might be surprised at how many people want to try it, but don't want to commit to a subscription right away.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#127when companies do these types of posts, does that mean that they have already been accepted into the 2017 winter batch of YC companies? or is this just part of the application process?
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
Every flight I've been on with Starbucks VIA has been absolute trash. Airplane coffee quite literally tastes like it was made with toilet water. That's honestly the only way I can describe it. I'm bearish on any improvements because I'm convinced the problem is the water they use.
You're spot on re: the water quality. An investigation at DFW a few years ago found hazardous levels of e.coli in the potable water tanks used to refill aircraft. I wonder why the airlines aren't doing anything about this. I'm not a frequent first-class passenger, but if I were, high-quality coffee would be a big deal for me.
> I'm not a frequent first-class passenger, but if I were, high-quality coffee would be a big deal for me.
Many transatlantic and transpacific flights now have a proper grind-on-demand coffee machine (allowing for lattes, cappuccinos, etc) in business / first class. Doesn't necessarily solve the water problem, although they can fill them up from bottled (I don't know if they actually do).
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
anything Keurig. It's watery gruel that smells awful and lacks flavor.
Keurig is several orders of magnitude better than instant and can be bought for as low as 50 cents a cup. At Sudden's 8 cups for $19 it is CHEAPER for me to buy a quality pour over at the local cafe where they charge $2.25 a cup. Also this appears to be targeting "coffee snobs"; most of that crowd isn't interested in instant coffee.
We started by targeting "coffee snobs" but we're now realizing that they indeed are not the best segment for us. We're shifting our focus toward more everyday coffee drinkers who are still interested in great coffee.
Edit: Definitely makes sense for you to go to your corner coffee shop. However, Sudden offers you an option to drink kick-ass coffee when you don't have access to any other option
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#130Have you considered letting the coffee speak for itself and offering a paid/free one cup sample to get people interested?
I'm not going to take a $19 leap on coffee I don't know if I'll like, no matter what people say or how good your marketing is. The fact that it's currently offered as a subscription makes it even less likely that I'll bite.
However, if I tasted your coffee and found it reasonable, I would probably sign up, even for a subscription. If you had an option to just buy a $3 sample cup I would, and if what people say about your coffee is true, I'd probably turn into a customer. I think a lot of people would be in the same boat, as well. Just something to consider.