Lamill and Joyride are the first partner roasters to join the Bruvi system. Bruvi press photo.
Single-serve brewing device maker Bruvi has launched a brand partner program, introducing offerings from two specialty coffee roasting companies while seeking deals with other roasting brands.
The program brings to market roaster-branded “B-Pods,” the name given to Bruvi’s proprietary single-serve plastic pods that are similar in appearance to Keurig’s K Cups, yet contain more coffee and are treated with a bio-enzyme that allows them to break down more quickly in a landfill than traditional plastics, according to the company.
The B-Pods fit into the Bruvi coffee machine, which can accommodate a wide variety of hot and cold coffee drinks, including brews resembling traditional filter coffees, espresso drinks or cold brews.
The first two coffee companies bringing their names to the Bruvi B-Pod product line are Los Angeles-based Lamill (styled as “LAMILL”), a roasting company with four physical locations and a reputation for high-quality wholesale service. Bruvi is offering B-Pods with Lamill’s popular Black Onyx blend.
In September, B-Pods for cold brews will bear the name of Joyride Coffee, the coffee roasting brand that made its name in the early 2010s through progressive office coffee service.
“This is a milestone for us,” Bruvi Co-Founder Mel Elias said in an announcement of the brand partnership program. “Superior craft brands selling their coffee in Bruvi B-Pods is an important endorsement of our system. We’re proud to welcome Lamill and Joyride and to bring their exceptional coffees to our customers in a way that’s convenient, responsible and delicious.”
A Bruvi coffee machine. 2022 press photo, courtesy of Bruvi.
Bruvi said it is in the process of signing on even more roasting partners through the program, with B-Pods from more roasting brands expected to launch throughout the coming year. Previously, the California-based company had been offering B-Pods from house brands with names such as Mulholland Roasters and Wonderland Coffee. The terms of the deals with roasting clients have not been publicly disclosed.
According to Bruvi, its B-Pods are designed to be thrown in the trash. The company holds a trademark for the phrase “Guilt Free Toss” while claiming that its pods “break down more quickly in a landfill environment without leaving microplastics behind.”
In its recent announcement, the company notes that “recent studies have found coffee pods to be a more ennvironmentally-friendly[sic.] option compared to traditional brewing methods“ while citing a Washington Post report on a study originally featured in The Conversation. However, the original was not a formal peer-reviewed study, and a 2021 peer-reviewed study came to an essentially opposite conclusion.
After raising at least $10.8 million through at least two investment rounds, Bruvi officially launched sales of its brewing machine last year. The Bruvi BV-01 is currently selling for $338.
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