Design & Prototyping
In the early 1990s, a man by the name of John Sylvan created a new kind of coffee maker. He spent three years with his business partner, Peter Dragone, working to invent something that they hoped would revolutionize the way America drank coffee. Sylvan was a big coffee drinker. One may even say he was a coffee addict when he was diagnosed with caffeine poisoning at one point. When his doctor gave him orders to cut back on his coffee intake, Sylvan pulled Dragone into helping him build prototypes of what we now know today as the Keurig. (Mcginn, 2011)
Keurig was the name that Sylvan used when he came across it in a Danish-English dictionary. He wanted to make traditional coffee pots go out of style so he wanted his creation’s title to stand out from the rest because of it’s “excellence”. With a title in mind, Sylvan and Dragone worked on prototype after prototype between the years of 1992 and 1997. They worked out of small offices in Waltham, MA, hoping to come up with something spectacular. Although there was no salary coming in for either of them, that didn’t stop the two from continuing to perfect their coffee model. (Mcginn, 2011)
There were many drip coffee models on the market already but Sylvan’s machine was designed to brew single cups using sealed capsules of ground coffee. The men designed the Keurig so that they were able to handle high pressures and hot temperatures. This was needed for each coffee to be able to taste hot and fresh every time.
Keurig’s cofounders Dick Sweeney (left) and Peter Dragone (right) show off the device in this early picture from the 90s. Absent is the company’s black sheep cofounder Sylvan. (Mick, 2015)
All Keurigs have a water reservoir that stores large quantities of water at once. This allows the user to press a button and be on the go. It also allows the user to not have to fill the machine with water every time a cup of coffee is wanted. Once the brew size button is pressed, water is pumped through pressurized hoses into the heating chambers. Here the water is heated to the optimal temperature required to create the best-tasting coffee. After the water reaches coffee-brewing temperature, the water passes into a hose at the top of the brewer. Here, the brewer houses an opening piece in which K-Cups are inserted. Once the K-Cup is in place, the opening piece is depressed and shut. Upon doing this, small pins pierce the K-Cup to deliver the heated water and to distribute the freshly brewed coffee. One small pin punctures the foil lid, thus releasing hot water into the K-Cup. Another small pin punctures the bottom plastic layer, thus allowing the just-brewed coffee to pour straight into the user’s mug. (How Do Keurig Brewers Work?, 2016)
Manufacturing & Production
The Keurig is manufactured in Waterbury, Vermont. The company’s sole purpose is to “Create the ultimate beverage experience in every life we touch from source to cup – transforming the way the world understands business” (Our Company, 2016). They are a company made of much diversity.
The materials used to manufacture the Keurig are what is called conflict-free materials. These types of materials have no minerals that may contain gold, tin, tantalum, tungsten, the derivatives of cassiterite, etc. The Keurig Green Mountain Company is committed and responsible to maintaining these goals:
- Support the aims and objectives of the U.S. legislation on the disclosure of conflict minerals
- Not knowingly procuring conflict minerals that originate from facilities in the Conflict Region that are not certified as conflict free
- Ensure compliance with these requirements. (Our Company, 2016)
Marketing
Sylvan’s product was designed for both men and women. He and Dragone were shooting to invent something that would be a quick way to get a nine to five city worker out the door or even for that college student who wakes up late and is running out the door for class. In 2010, one out of every four homes were sold a Keurig during the Christmas season. (Mcginn, 2011)
Colorful Keurigs Used to Target the Younger Population. (Bailey, 2015)
Sales
Keurig machines can be purchased at almost any appliance store. They are easily found at places like Target and Wal-Mart as well as big websites such as Amazon or Ebay. Depending on the time of year and the place or website of purchase, the price of the Keurig will differ. During its 2010 fiscal year, Keurig sold more than $330 million worth of brewers, which go for anywhere from $79.95 to $249.95 each (McGinn, 2011). The company makes and will continue to make the most month through the sales of the K-cups. In 2010, they sold over $800 million worth of K-Cups (McGinn, 2011).
User Support
Keurig users can get any type of help from the online website, keurig.com. It not only gives appliance support but it gives out information for purchases made as well as beverage support. If the user has any questions about K-Cup pods or any other product that Keurig uses, the website would be the place to go. Of course, there is a customer support 1-800 number that can be used as well for additional help. (Keurig® Support, 2016)
Maintenance
It is required that the user keeps up on the cleanliness of the Keurig machine. Depending on how often the machine is used, it is important to clean and descale the brewer so as to be able to enjoy the best tasting coffee. There is no need to take the machine into a shop to do this. It is as simple as cleaning a toilet at home.
The first step is to clean all removable pieces by hand in soapy water. Then the user uses a sponge or cloth to clean any grinds out of the K-Cup holder. The next step is cleaning the needle. The needle is the entrance and exit points through which the water flows through the coffee grounds. To complete the cleaning process, the last and final step is to de-scale the Keurig. De-scaling is a process in which it removes minerals that can build up in the machine over time. (Smith, 2015)
These simple steps to maintaining the Keurig machine help to keep each coffee brewed tasting just as good as the first one.
Recycling & Disposal
The K-Cups are part of the Keurig machine that can be recycled. According to an article written in the Waste and Recycling News, Jennifer Kalish wrote that “K-Cup® pods consist of a combination of plastic, aluminum, organic material (coffee grounds) and a paper filter. While all said items can be easily recycled separately, the K-Cup® pod as a whole cannot be recycled”. (Can You Recycle K Cups, 2016)
An Example of Recycling a K-Cup. (Steele, 2016)
Recycling is usually done in the United States. Each recycling facility maintains its own equipment that is used as well as uses its own policies and procedures. If for some reason the local facility does not accept the K-Cup pods, there are other options such as sending the recyclable items to the Recycle A Cup® Cutter Team or going online to Earth911.com to find a recycle location in another area.
