Brewing Excitement: Coffee Enthusiasts Are Taste-Testing the Future of Coffee
One year ago, we shared our vision for the future – a completely reimagined coffee system that will redefine how consumers brew coffee for decades to come. New K-Rounds™ plastic- and aluminum-free pods and the Keurig Alta™ coffee makerare designed for consumers to brew a wide variety of beverages – from bold espresso with velvety crema, to an aroma-rich hot cup of coffee, to a refreshingly chilled cold coffee – without having to master complex brewing techniques.
Beginning in May, Canadian consumers will start receiving prototype coffee makers for Keurig Alta™ and K-Rounds™ pods as part of our exclusive beta testing phase. This invaluable step of the product development journey allows us to gain direct insights from real-world use. Beta testers are providing feedback on key aspects such as their unboxing experience, the performance of the coffee maker and the taste and aroma of each coffee or espresso. Over the coming months, we will gradually expand the number of beta testers to ensure the final product delivers an exceptional experience that exceeds consumer expectations.
Getting to this place has required agile development and continuous iteration across a number of important product dimensions. Not to mention, a lot of coffee. Here are just a few examples of milestones we’ve achieved!
Inventing in Variable Brewing Pressure
We developed a first-of-its-kind variable pressure system from Keurig, new technology that provides the ability to adjust the pressure applied during the brewing process in order to deliver a wide variety of authentic, barista-style coffees.
Brewing Authentic Espressos
We spent months trialing the system’s ability to deliver a deep, aromatic espresso topped with a golden, velvety crema – the signature of a perfectly prepared espresso. Our initial blind taste tests were a hit, with consumers giving high marks for the quality and flavor while providing helpful feedback for improvement.We’ve developed and are testing several varieties of K-Rounds™ pods using every lever within our realm of coffee expertise – including coffee origin, roast levels, grind size and blends – and look forward to developing even more over the coming months.
Undertaking Compostable Certification
We are undergoing third-party testing to certify K-Rounds™ pods as compostable, ensuring they can break down effectively in industrial settings, so that our consumers can divert them easily through municipal composting programs. With progress achieved over the past few months, we believe we are on track to secure certification for the broader product launch.
Producing on our Pilot Line
We’ve started up an entirely new, proprietary manufacturing process for K-Rounds™ pods and have an inventive new pilot line running in our Burlington, Massachusetts R&D center. This line is supplying the critical first K-Rounds™ pods for consumers in our beta test and will allow us to refine our process as we ramp to mass production.
Breaking Ground on the Future
In preparation for mass production, we’ve broken ground on a new roasting and production facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which will be dedicated to the manufacturing of K-Rounds™ pods. This multi-million dollar investment emphasizes our commitment to long-term success of our exciting innovation.
Stay tuned as we continue to push boundaries and iterate on this revolutionary new system that will redefine how consumers will brew coffee at home.