 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food and beverage industry, technology, specialty coffee |
| Genre | Coffee |
| Predecessor | Bevrada, Meltz |
| Founded | 2015 in Massachusetts |
| Founder | Matthew Roberts and Douglas Hoon |
| Fate | Active |
| Headquarters | Gloucester, Massachusetts |
| Number of locations | 1 (2023) |
| Area served | United States, lower 48 states |
| Products | Flash frozen coffee capsules |
| Brands | Cometeer Coffee |
| Services | Coffee subscription service |
| Number of employees | 160 (2022) |
| Website | cometeercoffee |
| Footnotes / references | |
Cometeer Coffee is an American coffee technology and manufacturing company based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The brand uses brewing technology and flash-freezes it using liquid nitrogen for preservation.
The company's primary product is single-serve flash-frozen coffee capsules, but it also offers a subscription service that delivers frozen capsules to customers regularly.
History
Founding
Cometeer was co-founded in 2015 by CEO Matthew Roberts after developing the initial concept while studying abroad in Spain while attending Bentley University. He developed the idea for Cometeer after struggling to make a consistent coffee profile at home. His workaround of freezing coffee in ice trays inspired him, and he began experimenting with improving this method. George Howell, a specialty coffee expert, was an early collaborator for the business after Roberts proved his ability to flash-freeze and preserve the freshness of espresso shots using blocks of dry ice.
Shortly after Howell's endorsement, Douglas Hoon, the company's CTO, co-founder, and an MIT-trained engineer, partnered with Roberts and other engineers and chemists to develop precision coffee brewing systems and flash-freezing.
Launch
In 2019, the company launched its line of flash-frozen coffee capsules at the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo and won best new product.
In 2021, the company built and scaled its manufacturing from a renovated seafood processing factory.
The company is known for using its cryogenic patented coffee processing methods as a platform to partner with roasters considered part of the third-wave coffee movement, including Counter Culture Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, and Square Mile, the roasting company of James Hoffmann.
In February 2024, Houseplant, a home goods and lifestyle company co-founded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, partnered with Cometeer to launch a new line of coffee. Houseplant wants to expand into new product categories beyond cannabis-related items while highlighting the co-founders' connection to coffee culture.
Name of company
Cometeer derives its name from the portmanteau of the words comet and pioneer. Comets are balls of frozen liquids and gasses hurtling through space.
Investors
The company has raised over $100M from investors, including founders of tech companies and institutional investors.
Awards
- Cometeer was named one of TIME Magazine's best inventions in 2022.
- Cometeer was voted the best coffee subscription service in the United States for 2023 from USA Today 10Best.
References
- ^ Verma, Pranshu (2021-10-19). "In Gloucester, a tech startup plots the future of coffee". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ Gibson, Maggie (2022-04-01). "Cometeer Coffee Review: The Easy, Sustainable Wake Up Capsules". The Fascination. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- Logan Mahan (2021-10-19). "Review: Cometeer Is the Best at-Home Iced Coffee We've Tried". InsideHook. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
- Staff Writer (2019-04-15). "Specialty Coffee Expo announces 2019 New Product and Design Lab winners". Global Coffee Report. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- Hagan, Stephan (2024-02-20). "Gloucester company helps actor debut coffees". Gloucester Daily Times. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- "Beverage Supplement and Method for Making the Same". Google Patents. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- Potter, Nicole (2024-02-12). "Houseplant Coffee Offers Non-Infused Roasts with Cometeer". High Times. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- Jan Kamps, Haje (2021-10-19). "Frozen coffee startup Cometeer raises $35M Series B and launches its product in earnest". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- Parsi, Novid (2022-11-10). "Flash-Frozen Coffee to Go". Time. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- Staff Writer (2023-11-03). "Get the best coffee delivered to your door: 10 subscription services to try". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
