In late 2007 we launched
Shoffee.com, and whenever someone asked me what I did, it came with a very long explanation about what single-cup brewing was, and why someone would want to brew their coffee one cup at a time in their kitchen. The point that was most brought up is, "why do I want to pay more than $0.40 per cup of coffee (seems like forever ago that K-Cups were that cheap), when I could buy a whole can of coffee at the store for $2.99, and make what seems like hundreds of cups of coffee from it?"
The two people who made this argument most passionately are now two of the biggest Keurig (and Shoffee) advocates that I know.
So when I was watching Wheel of Fortune on Tuesday night, and I found myself shouting out "Single-Cup Coffeemaker" as the solution to the puzzle in the category "In the Kitchen" it made meant more than just something on television that I had a personal connection too, it said to me that what was considered a niche market only a couple of years ago was now mainstream. More importantly, it said that the product that companies like Shoffee (and all of the other Internet Keurig Retailers), who tirelessly explained to person after person why they need a Keurig Brewer in their kitchen, did a heck of a job.
Before that Single-Serve Coffeemaker was something you find on Wheel of Fortune, or at every Macy's, Kohls, Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond or supermarket in the country, it was something that a handful of office coffee distributors bought into, and saw as something that would bring their business to a new level.
Sure it was Keurig who introduced a home version of their Keurig brewer for sale, and allowed a select few office coffee distributors to explore selling Keurig K-Cups to home users via the web, and Shoffee was lucky enough to be one of these companies allowed to bring K-Cups to the masses.
Now, their is no minimizing the amount of marketing money Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (parent company of Keurig) has poured into their Single-Serve Coffee brand over the past four years, but the fact that long before the 30-second TV spots, or the ever changing Keurig radio reads, it was Keurig Authorized Internet Retailers (like Shoffee) who brought the brand to the mainstream.
So what does the Keurig-centric Wheel of Fortune Puzzle mean? It means that these Internet Retailers that Keurig entrusted with their brand years ago did an unbelievable job, and continue to do so on a daily basis.
So if you got a Keurig this past Christmas, or you've been a Keurig lover for years, think twice before buying a knock-off K-Cup from some fly-by-night company, on the web to make a quick buck in an industry that is red hot right now. These Internet Retailers who brought the original Single-Cup Coffeemaker into your kitchen are still here selling Keurig K-Cups with the "Genuine Keurig Brewed Seal," and would love to send you your next caffeine fix.
An Authorized Keurig At Home Distributor can most easily be recognized by a footer message on each page denoting that they are authorized to ship Keurig K-Cups only to homes, and will ask you before checking out whether you are shipping to a home or office.
