People’s Champion finalist 2016: Cafépod

Start-up name: CaféPod
Founders: Brent Hadfield and Peter Grainger
Started in: August 2012
Based in: London
Business description: Nespresso-compatible coffee pods

Shortlisted category:

Retail Business of the Year

The CaféPod story:

When Nestle’s patent on its Nespresso coffee pods expired in 2011, Brent Hadfield and Peter Grainger decided to strike while the iron was hot and rival the global giants.

Offering consumers “great coffee at a reasonable price”, in August 2012 they launched CaféPod – which claimed to offer the UK’s first Nespresso and Dolce Gusto-compatible coffee capsules.

Despite stiff competition in a crowded market – including from Nespresso itself – CaféPod aims to make its product more accessible and affordable by using recyclable plastic instead of metal.

Realising early on customers favoured its stronger blends, the brand focuses its Livewire and Supercharger range registering at strengths of 11 and 12.

In recent times, CaféPod has expanded its offering by launching two of its blends in bags of roast and ground coffee for the cafetiere and filter coffee machine.

The pods are available in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Tesco, as well as directly from their website – consumers can also buy the capsules via a monthly subscription service, where they can choose from batches of 40, 60, or 80 capsules.

CaféPod has also recently expanded into the international market, and is now trailing in Monoprix stores in France.

Why CaféPod made our shortlist:

Hadfield and Grainger “took on the giants and always punched above our weight”, CaféPod now holds a 46% market share in its area, with its turnover growing by 1266% from 2013-2016. Competitors better wake up and smell the coffee!

Where to find out more about CaféPod:

Website: www.cafepod.com
Twitter: twitter.com/cafepodtweets