Cold Brew from Iced Coffee Startup @WanderingBearCo Matt Bachmann and Ben Gordon met over coffee — literally.
The two spotted one another while in class at Columbia Business School. “We were both carrying mason jars, both making cold brew as hobbyists and iced coffee lovers. We realized we both shared this passion and it evolved into a business partnership,” says Gordon about the pair’s happenstance, “meet-cute” introduction.
From the beginning, the duo wanted to do things differently. “If the competitors were in bottles, we wanted to be in a box. If they were selling in grocery stores, we wanted to start by selling to offices,” Bachmann says. “We felt this need as consumers; we approached the business from the perspective of coffee drinkers and enthusiasts, and it’s been encouraging that there is an opportunity to share this style of product in the home and office.”
The coffee, says Bachmann, is “bold and incredibly smooth or incredibly bold and very smooth.” The distinct taste is due to the specifics of the cold brewing process, and in Wandering Bear’s case, results in a smooth, bold, dark chocolate flavor.
Objectively, Gordon says, cold brew is a better kind of iced coffee because of the superior brewing process. In the past few years, New York City has seen quite the surge of cold brew offerings — many others are carrying mason jars filled with their original brews.
“How do ya brew?”
For Wandering Bear, the magic happens on Saturday and Sunday. The coffee is roasted in Brooklyn every week and then delivered to a shared kitchen facility in Queens, where it’s steeped in cold water, transferred into bags so the oxygen can be let out and, finally, packaged by hand for freshness in Wandering Bear’s unique 12-cup boxes.
“We can work with our hands to produce something that people seem to be enjoying,” Gordon says. “So to be able to do that at the end of the work week, to will something into existence — it’s an incredibly gratifying feeling.”
Mashable had the opportunity to visit Wandering Bear’s kitchen and observe as they hand-packaged the product, Bachmann’s favorite part of the process. “There’s just something about working with your hands, it’s like an arts and crafts project. It’s just very tactile; it’s not mindless — it’s gratifying.”
Conversations about coffee
As a new business, the most important thing for Wandering Bear is marketing the product well –- talking to consumers and getting feedback.
“Getting to interact with consumers has influenced so much of what we are doing and how we are communicating about the brand,”
“Getting to interact with consumers has influenced so much of what we are doing and how we are communicating about the brand,” says Bachmann.
Other than continually holding tastings in business offices, the iced coffee brand has created interesting partnerships to get the name out there. Wandering Bear is the coffee vendor at Governors Ball Music Festival, the coffee sponsor for Daybreaker parties, recently held tastings at a variety of SoulCycle locations and can be found at Murray’s Cheese Shop, Barry’s Bootcamp , through web-store Goldbely and Fresh Direct.
Bachmann and Gordon are doing what many young entrepreneurs desire: Pursuing their passion. And thankfully for the cold brew-lovers out there, that passion is mighty tasty.
Order your cold brew here.
Original Article By Lindsay Rothfeld can be found here:
http://mashable.com/2015/05/18/wandering-bear-coffee/
