Last week we started our collaboration with Stone Creek Coffee to 'reimagine the office coffee cart'. Following our initial brainstorm, we met up with our friends from Stone Creek at their Factory Cafe in downtown Milwaukee. 
The artwork on display at Stone Creek is as stimulating as the coffee. While waiting for our order, Nick and Andy from Koss found a handful of really cleaver pop culture references hidden in this 'Factory' diagram. 
Behind the main bar we noticed a stash of records and a turn table. Coffee and music, two essential elements of life. 
Joel from Stone Creek showed us their testing lab, and explained the company's involvement from "Farm to Cup." Stone Creek works directly with farmers when sourcing their beans, ensuring both transparency and quality. The testing lab is a small scale version of the industrial coffee roaster on site. Employing a ton of interesting science, the "Coffee Geeks" at Stone Creek work through the different roasting variables, arriving at the perfect combination for a given harvest. An unbelievable amount of care and craft goes into each roast. 
Jason from Stone Creek was in the driver seat sketching with CAD as we all threw out ideas. Some important things we considered were: average door width, proper counter hight, power load, best counter surfaces + build materials, and brewing equipment. 
Joel and Nick discussed the nuances of pour over brewing. The method seems simple on the surface, but getting the best cup of coffee requires discipline, ritual, and technique. As we get closer to the final design/ build, we'll regroup for a crash course in brewing - something the Koss team is looking forward to very much. 
Here are some of the awesome renderings Jason created. Our visit was super informative, and productive. As we work to streamline the design we're primed to take the office coffee cart to a new level. Next steps: Koss is looking at unique ways to incorporate audio...
The artwork on display at Stone Creek is as stimulating as the coffee. While waiting for our order, Nick and Andy from Koss found a handful of really cleaver pop culture references hidden in this 'Factory' diagram. Behind the main bar we noticed a stash of records and a turn table. Coffee and music, two essential elements of life. Joel from Stone Creek showed us their testing lab, and explained the company's involvement from "Farm to Cup." Stone Creek works directly with farmers when sourcing their beans, ensuring both transparency and quality. The testing lab is a small scale version of the industrial coffee roaster on site. Employing a ton of interesting science, the "Coffee Geeks" at Stone Creek work through the different roasting variables, arriving at the perfect combination for a given harvest. An unbelievable amount of care and craft goes into each roast. Jason from Stone Creek was in the driver seat sketching with CAD as we all threw out ideas. Some important things we considered were: average door width, proper counter hight, power load, best counter surfaces + build materials, and brewing equipment. Joel and Nick discussed the nuances of pour over brewing. The method seems simple on the surface, but getting the best cup of coffee requires discipline, ritual, and technique. As we get closer to the final design/ build, we'll regroup for a crash course in brewing - something the Koss team is looking forward to very much. Here are some of the awesome renderings Jason created. Our visit was super informative, and productive. As we work to streamline the design we're primed to take the office coffee cart to a new level. Next steps: Koss is looking at unique ways to incorporate audio...
