Precision Espresso Machine Comes In Line To Be The Most Funded Food-Related Kickstarter
The future of hardware Kickstarter may be behind us (Too Cool anyone?), but every once in a while, a project comes along with just the right combination of a catchy promotional video, impressive features, and the promise of a better life to attract thousands of backers.
The ingenious Espresso seems to tick all those boxes, and as of this writing, the result is 2,700+ backers pledging more than $3.5 million for the cool looking coffee machine.
Why the excitement? A few thoughts:
First, the Meticulous Espresso machine has an attractive industrial design full of cool features. It looks sleeker and more futuristic than your typical full-metal home espresso machine, and the design is paired with impressive sound technology, including six temperature sensors, a pressure sensor, an integrated scale, and a satisfyingly straightforward digital interface.
Second, the intro video. I tend to get bored watching long Kickstarter videos, but this one combined a good enough mix of the creator’s vision story, interesting product features, and attention to the art of coffee making to keep me engaged until the end of its 5 minute run. The video was created by Adam Lisagor, a well-known ad actor, actor, and broadcaster who has been creating commercials for his video production shop Sandwich for over a decade. Lisagor often appears in the commercials he creates (and sometimes takes equity in companies in exchange for video work), and in this video, he calls out to the company’s founder Carlos Pendas.
Pendas himself does a good job of explaining his work and talking about the machine’s features, including the ability for users to create, save and share personalized espresso profiles through the Meticulous app. Although sharing a profile in different locations will require me to be meticulous – a tall order given the machine’s $2,000 MSRP ($1,500 on Kickstarter) – I love the idea of replicating my best espresso creations and sharing the profile with others using the same machine.
Whatever the reason for Meticulous’s rush to Kickstarter, the machine has already gone into the air without saying much about the funding raised, which has already surpassed several top campaigns in the food category, including PicoBrew and Anova. With about 30 days left in the campaign, Meticulous could become the most sponsored food hardware campaign if it reaches nearly $5 million in support, which would allow it to surpass the Otto G32 grill.
However, it’s important to note that Kickstarter success doesn’t always translate to successful products or companies. We all know what happened to PicoBrew, and while both Otto and Silo seem to still be breathing, the companies’ backers have been complaining for years as the companies that run them are delaying and delaying deliveries.
But who knows? Maybe Meticulous will be different and ship the product on time. For its sponsors, they hope to receive their equipment in December 2023
