Compostable Single-Serve Coffee Company Reinvents How You Make Your Morning Brew

Tempered Coffee is a local Richmond company that makes compostable single-serve coffee pouches. With only hot water, you can produce a full-bodied cup of coffee with all of the flavor of a French press. Their pouches are used to easily make delicious coffee & cold brew at home, camping, on the road, or anywhere you have hot water and no coffee shop. Their product was designed for all kinds of users; from the outdoor adventurer to the office warrior. Tempered coffee is a unique product that serves a need currently only fulfilled by instant coffee, which is subpar, and pods, which generate significant plastic waste. People are looking for convenient ways to brew delicious coffee and cold brew on the go and they provide a no compromise option to do just that.

As a brand new product entering a crowded coffee space that requires completely novel preparation, educating the public on the use and quality of the product is key. It was originally planned that Tempered Coffee would hone their message and gather customer reviews by in person demos at stores, markets, and farmers markets. As this avenue to interact with the public evaporated, they had to pivot much sooner than planned to design packaging that "sells itself". Their package 2.0 is much improved but has more room for improvement.

The tough conversations surrounding the history and current state of racial relationships have also made Tempered Coffee rethink the manner and aggressiveness of their outreach. They believe space needs to be given to heretofore unheard voices so frankly, going all in on social media and email marketing hawking coffee pouches seems like something that could wait a bit for them. They are attempting to be as thoughtful as possible as they restart their marketing and sales efforts.

At their startup phase, all parts of their business needed time and attention to develop. They were planning on focusing on sales and production over the past few months. But as target wholesale customers struggled to survive, they felt it was best to put their attention in other places. In the meantime, Tempered Coffee has focused on redesigning their packaging to sell better from retail shelves.

As in person demos became unavailable, they had to get creative about how to introduce the product to the public. By providing samples with growing meal delivery businesses in RVA they were able to get their product into people's hands. They also have 'sponsored' small groups such as Rotary clubs and provided coffee for meetings as they have restarted.

To support this small business, if you can, buy the product and make exquisite coffee and cold brew. If you know someone who travels for work, works in a place that provides wasteful or poor quality coffee, or who would otherwise enjoy our product, share the good word about their product. For more information about Tempered Coffee, visit their website at www.temperedcoffee.com.