When it comes to coffee, Keurig has become a household name. The company offers a convenient, single-serve brewing system that gives users plenty of choice when it comes to brands and flavors. And with its competitive prices, Keurig has become a go-to option for many coffee lovers.
But what makes Keurig so special? Let’s take a closer look at the company and its offerings:
Convenience: One of the biggest selling points of Keurig is its convenience. The brewing system is designed for single servings, so you don’t have to make a whole pot of coffee each time you want a cup. This can save time and money, especially if you’re the only coffee drinker in your household.
Choice: Keurig offers a wide variety of coffee brands and flavors, so you’re sure to find something to your taste. And with its easy-to-use brewing system, you can have your coffee just the way you like it – strong or weak, with milk or without.
Competitive Prices: Keurig’s prices are very competitive, especially when compared to other single-serve brewing systems. This makes it a great option for budget-minded coffee drinkers.
John Sylvan and Peter Dragone got their feet wet in the coffee brewing industry by starting up Keurig, which was based on the question: why do we brew coffee pots worth of coffee when individuals only drink it by the cup? They were able to quickly receive patents for their inventions and secured $1 million from venture capitalists.
In 1998, they were able to release their first coffee brewing system, the “K-Cup” which was a coffee mug with a premeasured amount of coffee within its own filter. This new system caught on like wildfire in college campuses and office buildings across America as it became known for its convenience and ease of use.
As Keurig grew in popularity, they began to license their K-Cup technology to other companies so that they could produce their own branded coffee pods compatible with Keurig machines. In 2006, Keurig went public and was later acquired by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters for $13.9 billion in 2016.
Today, Keurig is still one of the most popular coffee brewing systems on the market with a wide variety of coffee pod choices from both Keurig-branded and licensed third-party companies. Although there are now many competing brands of coffee pods, Keurig still holds a large share of the market due to its convenient brewing system and expansive choice of coffee flavors.
Thanks to Keurig, gone are the days of having to brew a whole pot of coffee just for one cup. Now you can have your favorite cup of joe in just seconds – all you need is a Keurig machine and your preferred brand of coffee pod.
Keurig, which means excellence in German, was finally able to launch their first industrial strength single-serve machine in 1998. This gave coffee lovers the ability to make a perfect cup of coffee every time. Keurig entered the market at the beginning of its explosion giving them an advantage over other companies. This is because consumers were wanting more than just traditional brewed pots of coffee and they wanted premium gourmet roasted coffees without having to leave their homes.
In 2000, Keurig released the B100, their first at-home brewing system. From that point on, Keurig’s sales took off.
Today, Keurig is a convenience for coffee drinkers who want to enjoy a quick cup of premium coffee without having to deal with traditional brewing methods. The company offers a wide variety of machines and pods to choose from, making it easy for customers to find the perfect fit for their lifestyle and needs.
In addition to offering a convenient product, Keurig also competes against other brands by providing a unique selection of coffees and teas not found in stores. This allows customers to explore new flavors and find their perfect cup without leaving the comfort of their own home.
As the coffee market expanded, it exhibited two trends. First, specialty coffees were “mainstreamed,” and second, people could only drink one cup at a time. Keurig enhanced its efforts to adapt by substantially increasing innovation, technology, and R&D personnel. By developing the K-Cup and partnering with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR), Keurig changed the game in the single-cup industry.
This allowed Keurig to have an edge in the market, as it was now able to offer consumers a wide range of beverage choices with its different K-Cup pod varieties.
With the partnership between Keurig and GMCR, they were also able to gain access to GMCR’s roasting and packaging capabilities, which enhanced the fresh taste of their coffee. In addition, this gave Keurig a competitive advantage as it could now produce coffee pods at a lower cost. As Keurig continued to grow, it acquired other companies such as Dr Pepper Snapple Group in order to expand its product offerings and reach new markets.
Keurig’s success can be attributed to its focus on convenience, choice, and competitive brands. By offering a wide range of beverage choices and partnering with leading coffee brands, Keurig has been able to maintain its position as a market leader in the single cup coffee market.
The entire procedure is relatively straightforward: the consumer places the cup within the Keurig machine (without removing the aluminum), closes the lid, and presses a button, and in less than a minute, a fresh cup of coffee is ready. Since its debut in 1998, GMCR only offered eight varieties of coffee, but by 2002 consumers had access to over 200 different kinds from 30 distinct brands.
When it comes time that Keurig’s patents will expire, competition will skyrocket, so it is extremely important that they pay close attention to their competitors’ moves.
In order to maintain its market share, Keurig has partnered with different companies. For example, in 2006 Keurig teamed up with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to develop and sell the single-cup brewing system for home use under the Keurig brand name.
More recently, in 2012, GMCR acquired the Van Houtte coffee company which allowed them to expand their North American distribution network as well as add new products to their portfolio such as K-Cups éspressos and cappuccinos.
Other partnerships that Keurig has entered into are with Coca Cola (to distribute Coca Cola branded pods), Kraft Foods (to offer Maxwell House, Gevalia and Tassimo T-Discs), and with Caribou Coffee (to offer Caribou K-Cups).
The Keurig model has also been adopted in the office setting. There are now Keurig machines specifically for offices that can make up to 18 cups of coffee at a time. These bulk brewing machines have helped GMCR gain a foothold in the $500 million office coffee services market.
GMCR’s main competitors are Nestle Nespresso, Sara Lee’s Senseo, and Kraft’s Tassimo. All three companies have similar products but use different technologies.
Nespresso machines use pre-measured capsules that are inserted into the machine, while Senseo pods are placed into a special holder. Tassimo machines read a barcode on the T-Discs which tells the machine how much water to use, for how long to brew, and at what temperature.
Nestle’s Nespresso system is the most similar to Keurig’s in terms of technology and ease of use. The main difference is that Nespresso uses pre-measured capsules while Keurig uses K-Cups. These capsules are more expensive than K-Cups but offer a wider variety of flavors.
Nespresso has also partnered with different companies in order to offer a greater variety of pod flavors including Nestea, Starbucks, and even Ghirardelli chocolate.