Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, the fuel that ignites the brain in the morning and keeps us going throughout the day. Some people take their coffee more seriously, and enjoy a more artisanal approach to coffee-making, and not just stirring up a quick instant coffee. It’s for those people that Berlin-based startup Bonaverde has launched a new coffee-making machine that gives coffee lovers total control of the process.
Bonaverde’s coffee machine not only grinds and brews coffee, it also roasts green coffee beans. The Bonaverde team says that with one push of a button, the coffee lover can bypass 17 stages typically involved in the processing and distribution process. The promise is of a "tree-to-cup" experience in less than 12 minutes, a feat the team is hoping is going to get one of their farming partners, Henry Hueck, from Nicaragua, a Guinness World Record.
But more than just a fast, high-tech way of making coffee, Bonaverde coffee makers personalize the relationship between coffee drinkers and coffee producers, from whom they can buy their beans directly. Bonaverde is connected to a network of farmers around the globe, adding a scent of social networking to the process. Sustainability is also on the cards as beans will be shipped in jute bags, avoiding less environmentally-friendly materials such as paper, plastic and aluminum.
"Consumers want greater transparency in the coffee market across the entire value chain," Bonaverde founder Hans Stier said in a press release. "Our concept is a complete shift away from the established market. We give our customers complete control over the roasting process and ensure that more money goes to where the most value is generated – the coffee farmers."
Bonaverde has launched a Kickstarter funding campaign to bring its product to market. Supporters can chip in with as little as US$5, while an Early Bird package of $250 will include the coffee machine, 6 lb (2.7 kg) of green coffee beans and a Bonaverde jute tote bag. For the hardcore coffee lovers with more money to spare, Travel Packages of up to $10,000 will take them as guests of the Bonaverde team to visit farming partners in various countries, including Brazil, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Peru, among others.
Shipping of the Early Bird Bonaverde coffee machines is slated for next October while those who purchase the Beta Tester Package will get their hands on the device in August 2014, as the company already has more than a hundred working prototypes, both for consumer and commercial use.
In the video below, Bonaverde's Felix Artmann shows how the prototype works.
Sources: Bonaverde, Kickstarter
