Blue Bottle Unveils New Subscription Model As Tonx Brand Dissolves

The Tonx to Blue Bottle migration was completed this morning, including a brand refresh for Blue Bottle home coffees and an expansion of subscription services to build on Tonx’s previously existing model.

Blue Bottle announced in April that it had acquired Tonx — a roastery and subscription service founded by former Victrola Coffee and Intelligentsia roaster Tony Konecny and business partner Nik Bauman in 2011 — after receiving $20 million-plus fundraising rounds in each October 2012 and January 2014. At the time, Konecny said, “With Blue Bottle, we have found a more established company that still has an innovative startup culture, continues to evolve, and is dedicated to improving people’s experience of coffee on an ambitious scale.”

(related: Investors Not Shy As Coffee Subscription Segment Matures)

So, as the sun officially sets on the Tonx brand today, Blue Bottle has announced some operational and aesthetic changes for its subscription service, not the least of which is updated home packaging that reinforces the Blue Bottle brand with a minimalist approach highlighting the blue bottle logo on a white canvas. A sticker on the bag of the bag is equally uncluttered, offering the roast date, the origin or blend name, and the company’s address. Blue Bottle hopes the bags “combine Tonx’s elegant accessibility with our own ideas about a delightful at-home experience.”

Blue Bottle is also changing subscription bag sizing, offering subscriptions in 6-ounce, 12-ounce, 24-ounce and 36-ounce sizes (all delivering with 12-ounce bags, with the exception of the 6-ounce “half bag”), while existing Blue Bottle subscribers can continue ordering 16-ounce bags. There will also be three new distinct subscription programs: A bi-weekly rotating single-origin subscription; a rotating shipment of Blue Bottle blends, and a rotating espresso subscriptions that the company says will include “the occasional single origin standout.”

Twelve-ounce subscription start at $17 for espresso, $19 for blends and $21 for single origins, with prices-by-weight decreasing slightly for larger subscriptions.

(related: Big UK Coffee Brand Cafédirect Acquires Subscription Service Kopi)

Customers will also have options for tweaking their subscription options, including adjusting delivery frequency, skipping single deliveries or pausing service. For those customers on the fence about ordering, Blue Bottle is also offering free 2-ounce samples within the U.S., requiring a registration.

On Blue Bottle’s revamped website — it’s worth noting that Tonx as of today redirects to Blue Bottle — the subscription service is prominently displayed on the homepage under the Banner “Blue Bottle at Home.”

Interestingly, Blue Bottle’s focus on the home brewing segment comes also at a time when the company is expanding its retail presence, with new stores in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo all on the horizon.