I buy instant coffee 3 or 4 times a year when I go backpacking. Because it's that rare, I'm not going to subscribe, but if I saw this for sale at [Big Box Outdoor Store] when I was buying supplies, I'd probably pay a premium for it.
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
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
What prevents you from subscribing and then unsubscribing just afterwards? (I don't know, maybe the webpage does, but there's no mention of minimum times anywhere and recurringcheckout has let me unsubscribe without problems in the past)
You have to call the New York Times to cancel your digital subscription. Why would I trust that some online coffee merchant I've never heard of isn't up to the same tricks? https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/account/purchases/subsc...
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Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#43I don't understand the point of this product. You're obviously targeting people who already like coffee, such as myself: I already buy beans, grind them myself, and manage the process using an Aeropress, and I'm hardly some coffee hipster because I use goddamned Eight O'Clock Columbian Peaks. Yet, you are trying to sell me instant coffee, which I automatically am wary of because instant coffee is the shittiest coffee…
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Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#44Hi 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 Sudden subscriber, the experience should evolve over time, you'll learn more about coffee, try new things, have fun with it. To us, this wasn't about making something to have once a year on a road trip, but a way that we could connect with customers and create a larger community. A subscription is the best way for us to build a lasting experience at our current size.
2) For a lot of folks out there, it is super easy & convenient and they wouldn't have it any other way. They like that Sudden Coffee just arrives and they don't have to think about it. It's something they can add into their life.
3) Subscriptions mean we can offer the same product at a much cheaper price. We can spend a lot less time & money making ads or sending emails to remind you to buy again. This is the reality of what most CPG companies do - think about how often you see a toothpaste ad for a toothpaste you already own, even if you love it. We pass the savings directly on to customers. We ran the numbers, to offer the same coffee without a subscription, we'd have to charge $4-5/cup.
To clarify 2 things: A) You definitely can still be in the target market for us. Our most popular subscription is 8/cups a month. This is meant to ADD-TO not REPLACE your existing coffee ritual. We find Sudden works best as your 'second-cup' of the day (at least as you try it out). We have plenty of customers who make a daily pour over and then use Sudden in the afternoon.
B) We recognize that giving people a way to TRY before subscribing is a big gap in our service and we are actively experimenting with the best ways to do that. It may come in the form of referrals from other customers or special sales. We just brought on someone last week to think through the experience and were brainstorming about it this morning.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#45I've been a subscriber for Sudden Coffee since Christmas and I love it. The coffee is definitely as good the corner cafe here in San Francisco. I love it because it takes me 1/10 the time to make a great cup of coffee in the morning. I just upped my subscription so I can get more every month. On top of that the customer service has been top notch so far with Kalle himself answering my questions. My initial worry was…
This reads like a run-of-the-mill marketing blurb.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#46Congrats on the launch! It's been great seeing your progress since last summer.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same here - I'd pay $20 for a 5 count sample without a subscription.
Or even just a jar/tub instead of individual servings.
Looking into that. We haven't done it yet because we are worried the coffee will get stale. Individual servings ensure the coffee stays fresh - that's why we do it.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#48Hi 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?
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.
Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
#49Re: Launch HN: Sudden Coffee (YC W17) – Instant coffee that doesn't suck
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