Here's What Happened To Brümachen After Shark Tank
Business partners Ross Smith and Kweku Larbi really like their coffee, and as such, they wanted to create a product that allowed them to bring freshly brewed, hot java everywhere they went. And thus they created Brümachen, the world's first fully portable machine that brews six ounces of 190-degree coffee in about five minutes, using K-cups or their own refillable pods. The tool plugs into a standard home outlet or your car's 12-volt power outlet for brewing. And, even more genius, the brewer itself also serves as a coffee mug once the brew is ready. Essentially, it's designed to save users quite a bit of money compared to a coffee shop.
The Cinemaholic shares that "the Brümachen Brewer is also eco-conscious and sustainable. Instead of plastic coffee pods that take up to 400 years to degrade, the Brümachen Brewer uses biodegradable pods made out of sugarcane that degrade in only 180 days." Their Leaf Pods also come in flavors similar to K-cup, like Morning Blend, Donut Shop, Colombia, and French Roast.
The origins of Brümachen and its founders
Co-founder Kweku Larbi is originally from Ghana, but he studied in the US and received a Civil Engineering degree from Cleveland State University. After he found himself needing a hot cup of coffee on construction sites, but without any access to any coffee shops nearby, he developed the concept and design and created an early prototype for Brümachen using a 3D printer that brews coffee — and tea — from literally anywhere.
Larbi met his business partner Ross Smith through a social media collaboration. Smith is a viral TikTok star, known to his 15 million followers for posting videos of his grandmother and donning hilarious outfits. Having previously collaborated with other brands like the NFL and Burger King, Smith strongly believed in Larbi's product and joined him as a partner, according to The Cinemaholic.
Smith and Larbi began crowdfunding on Kickstarter in January of 2020, raising $41,553 (even though their original goal was $6,000). But the company encountered problems with manufacturing early on, and were unable to ship finished products. The duo was featured on Season 12 of Shark Tank in early 2021, seeking $1 million for 10% of the business. During the episode, they shared that Brümachen, which retails for $120, costs $38 to make. Though, sadly, they were not given a deal by any of the Sharks.
What has happened with Brümachen since 'Shark Tank'?
According to the blog Shark Tank Recap, the potential investors suggested that the machine needed design improvement, and they were not impressed by the current number of sales. Meaww runs through some of the Sharks' reactions, like Mark Cuban opting out first saying, "You haven't really shown us if it's worth $10 million." The notoriously harsh Mr. Wonderful Kevin O'Leary also said their deal was "obscene," and responded with, "I got a million bucks, you are not getting any."
According to the Shark Tank Blog, as of July 2021, the Brümachen brand has been pretty quiet on their website and social media, with many backers on Kickstarter saying they never received their machine, or if they did, it was faulty — leading many to believe the company would never actually get a functioning product made and put out on the mass market. However, the brand's website is still taking orders for the machine, but not fulfilling any international orders at this time. Check out the Brümachen website to see more about the brewer and their custom Leaf Pods.