STW Coffee-istas…….. I’m thinking of setting an ( initially ) part time business ….. sourcing and selling quality coffee capsules, particularly Nespresso compatible capsules .

So I’m interested to know from you guys …. would you buy compatible cartridges ?? do you already ?? where from?? how much do you pay ?? how many do you buy ??

What is your experience of Nespresso and compatible cartridges ???

All feedback and suggestions welcome ??

I reckon we get through about 60 a month. I still buy some nespresso ones but I also get some from lidl because they work out about 15p each although there are only two varieties that I like. I’d be prepared to pay a bit more for none nespresso ones but probably not much more than 20p a capsule.

Interested only If recyclable which is why I don’t buy the cheapies. If you can guarantee that I’m in. I get through 30 – 40 pods a month.

+1; you’d need your delivery network to also collect empties – which given they’re already calling at delivery points should be doable.

We are big users of nespresso, 10+ caps per day. We’ve never considered alternative caps. To be honest I struggle to see how an independent can match Nespresso quality at a materially lower price which is what you’d have to do to make sales on a like for like basis. I imagine having a local shop would be a USP for those that don’t live in say London where it’s possible to visit a shop rather than do mail order.

Best of luck

The cheaper compatibles tend to be a bit rubbish really. Anything worth drinking is as expensive as Nespresso’s own. Compatibles don’t work as well (sometimes not piercing properly) in the machines.

The third party capsules vary in quality so much that it almost becomes a desperate trial and error exercise. Cafe direct are great tasting and work well with the machine, my pick of the bunch. M&S are pretty good too. A lot of them just aren’t consistent – Aldi’s seem to have vanished from sale and just as well as they were awful.

Thanks for the initial thoughts…. I’m looking at Italian origin capsules at the moment. Certainly feel that the branding and quality of coffee has to match strength and intensity of Nespresso . I have been using similar myself for about 6 months . target pricing is 20-25 p with a choice of 5 or so coffee blends . Capsules are likely to be foil wrapped and premium packaging at the top end . less packaging and bulk packed at the lower end .

its interesting to hear a few people considering the recyclable element. Thats definitely something to consider … but costly i guess …

M&S need stringing up for their packaging. Box – foil – capsule.

Can you do Tassimo too? Same with recycling and it would be great to have more variety.

I get through 100+ month at 25p each approx. Plus about £100 in Costa! I need help!

Not sure Nespresso users could be described as coffee “fans”. 🙂

But best of luck anyway.

to be fair, there’s a nespresso machine at work. It’s marginally better than tesco’s cheapest instant.

The bellaroma from lidl labeled as strength 10 are OK and acceptable value at 18p per capsule. I’d pay 25p per capsule if delivered and empties collected for recycling. Go through 10 capsules per day in the office.

The capsules are recyclable, surely? They’re aluminium – just rip them in half, dump the coffee and put them in the recycling bin…?

Not sure Nespresso users could be described as coffee “fans”.

But best of luck anyway.

If you really like coffee get a half decent machine and grinder and experiment.

I have a Cafissimo machine. I re use my capsules filling them with freshly ground. It works really well.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WobEcTHb-60[/video]

I’m surprised that you’re surprised that people are concerned about recycling, that needs to be the USP shirley?

I do not use such a machine, prefer my cafetiere.

The ‘Clooney cysts’ a malignant way to make coffee 🙄

I use Aldi coffee in my cafetiere, feel free to comment MrSmith.

😉

It could be a USP. But I’m just surprised that it’s seen as so high on the list. But then again this is the whole point of my asking questions.

I personally use a Gaggia at home the ‘proper’ way … but at my office espresso is quick and easy and any of our staff can use it to produce good quality coffee easily and quickly for ourselves and visitors . It doesn’t need barista skills.

I’d say I was a bit of a coffee snob….proper coffee clearly has first place.

Nespressso is in my opinion The best of the pods systems by far for quality and there’s a definite market clearly for those who don’t have the inclination to baristas

Keep the feedback and comments coming though fellas. All good stuff.

I use Aldi coffee in my cafetiere, feel free to comment MrSmith.

I have no view on your choice of coffee, only I hope you recycle the packaging 😕

Solve the fact that Nesspresso is never more than lukewarm and you may have a business.

Given up and back to piping hot filter coffee in a cafetiere

Good luck

Solve the fact that Nesspresso is never more than lukewarm and you may have a business.

Nespresso recommend that you run the machine with hot water only into your cup to warm it up before running with coffee. Makes a difference IMO (I drink mine black anyway and find it just right)

I rate the Ethiopian coffee from Aldi, it’s the one with a zebra on it, works well in my stove top coffee pot. I found cafetières don’t tend to last long with me, the mesh eventually lets the coffee grains through.
I’ve considered a machine but aren’t they a pain to clean?

I always pre-heat the cup with some boiling water before adding the coffee.

target pricing is 20-25 p with a choice of 5 or so coffee blend

At 5-10p cheaper than Nespresso pods I don’t think bother changing – especially with the free recycling. There again we only go through about 10 pods/week.

Solve the fact that Nesspresso is never more than lukewarm and you may have a business.

Nespresso have grown average 30% + per year over last 10 years…. Since 2000 sold over have sold over 20 billion capsules ……

Interesting figures !

It could be a USP. But I’m just surprised that it’s seen as so high on the list. But then again this is the whole point of my asking questions.

Users who’ve responded above are demonstrating that there is an awful lot of waste with these.

As regards the number of machines sold, certainly the people I know who’ve bought them think they’re buying into the whole coffee thing without actually admitting they were swayed by the lazy option USP!

There’s 1g of aluminium waste ……. (13g in a drinks can ) ….. Once coffee grounds are removed then the aluminium is easily recycled .

The recycling element is clearly important , but personally can’t help feeling that it’s a heightened perception of waste by the fact that emptying the machine when full of the capsules looks like a lot.

I”m not saying the consideration is wrong, but thinking about it , most compatible capsules are plastic, and obviously smaller and with much less waste than say yoghurt pots , milk cartons, orange juice cartons , butter containers , plastic food wrappers etc etc.

Mrs G has been laid up a while following an operation so I’ve been head cook and bottle washer and related to this I guess I must admit I noted to myself just the other day how much waste packaging even just two of us generate from food etc……. It certainly is an issue. Perhaps Mr Muller ought to introduce a collection for his empty yoghurt pots too lol

Surely there are myriad ways to make coffee that produce practically no waste (and better tasting coffee) if you are that concerned about recycling?

My bean to cup machine produces just coffee grounds, plus whatever bag the beans came in. (and no, it isn’t at all difficult to clean).

Looked into this commercially a few years ago when I was working in the coffee industry with the idea to manufacture pods when the Nespresso market opened up.
Commercially it has very little to do with the coffee and everything to do with marketing and the spin you can produce around each flavour of capsule. As long as you produce a decent crema then you will be fine as any pre ground coffee regardless of whether it is in a capsule loses all of its depth.

There is definitely a business there but dont loses focus on things like recycling as this is most definitely the wrong system for people who are enviro conscious in the first place.

Also if you are serious visit http://www.triestespresso.it/ or http://coteca-hamburg.com/en/homepage/ next year where you can go direct to supplier and even look at capsule producing machines if you want to go all in!!

You might want to look at what the French supermarkets stock. We may have been lucky but the ones near us had a good variety of Nespresso alternatives and at really low prices. They had brand name types (such as Carte Noir), independents and own brands. They were noticeably cheaper than those in the UK. I am definitely going to stock up next time I am over there.

Might want to check out this as an example – https://www.seedrs.com/cru-kafe

That’s a company that sources the coffee and is looking to make the capsules, bundled with a load of fluffy terms like “organic” and “recycling”.

If waste and environment are your concerns though, grinder, proper espresso machine that will last for years rather than being chucked in the tip and replaced every few years when they break, and fresh beans via a relatively environmentally/ethically sourcing company. Though usually they do use bags that aren’t recyclable to keep the beans fresh. Maybe move near a coffee producing farm in a coffee country and get the beans yourself taking your own reusable bag 😀 (even then though you have to consider the environmental concerns of the roasting process).

We had a lodger who had one. They seem an environmental disaster zone. Bulky multilayered packaging, bulky I recyclable waste (how many people actually empty the pods?) and she boiled the kettle just to use the hot water to warm the cups so terrible waste of energy.

Pods seem to work out about twice the price of decent coffee beans per cup as well. But they seem to sell.

I won’t be look to France for nice coffee!