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Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

bloomberg.com

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Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#131

Post by panglott »

thefifthsetpin wrote: post #60
dpflan wrote: post #5

"Two investors in Juicero were surprised to learn the startup’s juice packs could be squeezed by hand without using its high-tech machine." This sounds almost comical...

I don't see why this matters at all -- the disposable juice packs are what extract money from the consumer. It's the razor / replacement blade or printer / ink model. If someone finds out that they really only need the blades, ink, or juice packs, it's no big deal. The problem for the manufacturer comes when consumers figure out that they can use knock-off blades, generic ink, or 3rd party juice packs.

https://www.vox.com/new-money/2017/4/19/15357290/juicero-400...

'Juicero’s business plan reads like a pitch-perfect parody of contemporary startup culture. One investor told Bloomberg that Juicero was building a “platform” for a new model of food delivery. ...The technology is mostly superfluous from the customer’s perspective. But the technology dimension was crucial for fundraising. As one investor put it to Bloomberg, “Their venture firm wouldn’t have met with [Juicero founder Doug] Evans if he were hawking bags of juice that didn’t require high-priced hardware.”'

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#132

Post by maxerickson »

draw_down wrote: post #120
thefifthsetpin wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why this matters at all -- the disposable juice packs are what extract money from the consumer. It's the razor / replacement blade or printer / ink model. If someone finds out that they really only need the blades, ink, or juice packs, it's no big deal. The problem for the manufacturer comes when consumers figure out that they can use knock-off blades, generic ink, or 3rd party juice packs.

How many people do you know that drag the razor across their face without the handle? Sure it's where the profit comes from, but you do need the two parts to have a consumer story. Otherwise they'd just sell the blades and drop the ruse.

They also sell disposable blades with disposable handles attached to them.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#133

Post by ianferrel »

Pigo wrote: post #77
nommm-nommm wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Already done. >The device also reads a QR code printed on the back of each produce pack and checks the source against an online database to ensure the contents haven’t expired or been recalled, the person said.

I really hate what those machines have done to coffee. It's difficult to explain to people at work, family, and friends how they paid a premium to be overcharged and produce extra waste without coming off like a jerk. I miss getting up from my machine and filling my mug with a regular coffee pot.

I know that I'm paying a premium and that the coffee isn't as good as what else I could make.

I'm paying for time. I can just press a button and have coffee in ~1 minute. No need to grind beans or clean the coffeemaker after.

Worth it for me.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#134

Post by haldean »

simias wrote: post #58

It's the first time I hear about this product but as someone who likes fermenting vegetables this part surprised me: >We finish by sealing the produce (completely raw and never pasteurized) into our Packs, which get shipped to your door the day they're made. Wouldn't raw, unpasteurized chopped fruits and vegetable start fermenting very quickly in those packs? Are they shipped refrigerated? This entire thing is so wei…

They are shipped refrigerated; that's why they're limited to only a handful of states. From the article:

> The products were only available in three states until Tuesday, when the company expanded to 17. Packs can’t be shipped long distances because the contents are perishable.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#135

Post by Yetanfou »

I'll offer a brief glimpse into the future. Juicero, burnt by the ease at which consumers rob them of potential revenue poaches someone away from the likes of HP or Gillette. That someone comes up with the perfect solution: add a coded valve to the juice bags which only opens when it has been inserted in a licensed Juicero machine. The added advantage is that the machine can refuse to squeeze more juice out of a bag which has been in the machine for more than X days, all for your protection of course.

Next thing consumers take knives to the bags to circumvent the coded valves. Bags are reinforced. Consumers use better knives. Bags are made double-walled with some nasty tasting/coloured liquid in between the two walls, all for your protection.

Next step is Juicero goes bankrupt, consumers are left with useless machines which end up on flea markets or landfills.

Rinse.

Repeat.

Me? I just eat an apple, an orange or a banana. My daughter prefers to put them through the blender first and calls it a smoothie. Takes all of a few minutes and works with apples and oranges and bananas from any source.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#137

Post by haldean »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #72
colourincorrect wrote: post #66

But... what is the point of a juicer if the contents you are juicing are already liquid? I am in a state of panic right now because I cannot fathom how a group of people thought this was a good enough idea long enough for them to develop a final product. What????

They say it's "single-serving packets of chopped fruits and vegetables" not juice.

...but there's no way that you can generate enough force with just your hands to turn chopped fruit into liquid, though. It must be mostly-liquid already for that to work, right?

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#138

Post by dpflan »

Yetanfou wrote: post #135

I'll offer a brief glimpse into the future. Juicero, burnt by the ease at which consumers rob them of potential revenue poaches someone away from the likes of HP or Gillette. That someone comes up with the perfect solution: add a coded valve to the juice bags which only opens when it has been inserted in a licensed Juicero machine. The added advantage is that the machine can refuse to squeeze more juice out of a bag…

Indeed! And at the $400 price point you could purchase a superb blender or a good one and save $ (blender drawbacks may be the cleaning and grocery shopping when viewed as customer for Juicero who is contemplating switching) but it's far more versatile beyond the context of just consuming produce in liquid or near-liquid/smoothie form.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#139

Post by roymurdock »

Yetanfou wrote: post #135

I'll offer a brief glimpse into the future. Juicero, burnt by the ease at which consumers rob them of potential revenue poaches someone away from the likes of HP or Gillette. That someone comes up with the perfect solution: add a coded valve to the juice bags which only opens when it has been inserted in a licensed Juicero machine. The added advantage is that the machine can refuse to squeeze more juice out of a bag…

You should consider applying for an operations role at Juicero - the double-walled solution was truly a nice touch.

On another note, Juicero doesn't care what you or your daughter do to make juice, because you were never meant to buy a Juicero. It's a safe bet that their strategy was to sell B2B to large corporations and into the high-end hospitality industry (hotels, cruise ships, colleges) rather than B2C. I'm sure they extrapolated some crazy TAM/SAM/SOM for the B2B amenities market based on Keurig's success and used it to score an easy $120m.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#140

Post by narrator »

Yetanfou wrote: post #135

I'll offer a brief glimpse into the future. Juicero, burnt by the ease at which consumers rob them of potential revenue poaches someone away from the likes of HP or Gillette. That someone comes up with the perfect solution: add a coded valve to the juice bags which only opens when it has been inserted in a licensed Juicero machine. The added advantage is that the machine can refuse to squeeze more juice out of a bag…

You can also buy a juicer. Takes a negligible effort to clean, and with all those grocery delivery services, the slogging vegetables around part is taken care of.
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