IT’S JUST COFFEE!

What does it actually take to turn a coffee idea into a real product?In this episode, we sit down with Dominic Symons, Founder of Subminimal and designer behind tools like the NanoFoamer and Subscale. We unpack what separates genuinely useful coffee equipment from the endless stream of gadgets hitting the market.From identifying real problems behind the bar to prototyping, manufacturing, patents, and raising over $1.5M through Kickstarter, Dominic shares what most people misunderstand about launching a product, and why simplicity is often the hardest design challenge.We also explore copycat culture, protecting ideas, and why many concepts should never make it past the sketch phase.If you’ve ever wondered how coffee tools actually come to life, this episode is for you.If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

https://subminimal.com

@subminimal

Products mentionedNanoFoamerNanoFoamer PROSubscaleFlick WDT Tool

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

00:24 Meet Dominic Symons (Subminimal)

02:04 Raising $1.5M on Kickstarter

03:01 Is Kickstarter Still Worth It?

04:33 Product Development Reality Check

09:15 Why Milk Frothing Needed Innovation

12:35 From Side Project to Global Product

14:09 What Makes a Great Coffee Tool?

15:41 Copycats, Patents & Protecting Ideas

18:22 Product Ideas That Didn’t Make It

23:25 How to Start Designing a Product

26:36 Finding Manufacturers & Production

28:08 Real Cost of Launching a Product

32:11 Filming the Kickstarter Campaign

34:17 Coffee Market Update

36:16 Brands Pushing Innovation

37:11 Coffee Trends That Might Be Overhyped

39:09 Where to Find Subminimal

40:01 Outro

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch?

Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/

Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening!
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Edwin Noreña is a fourth-generation farmer and coffee innovator, leading Finca Campo Hermoso in Colombia. The farm is known for its experimental coffees, with Edwin himself developing a co-fermentation technique inspired by the craft beer industry. We caught him at MICE2026 to talk “co-fermented” vs “infused” coffee, as well as hops in coffee processing, and the complications that come with bringing co-ferments into the mainstream. 

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Campo Hermoso: https://www.instagram.com/campohermoso_coffeefarms/ 

CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction & Why Experimental Coffee is Trending

02:30 Campo Hermoso & The R&D Approach to Coffee

05:10 Co-Fermented vs Infused Coffee Explained

06:45 Multi-Stage Fermentation & Using Hops

10:40 Fermentation Science (Yeast, Anaerobic, Lactic)

12:00 Adding Value at Origin

14:00 Extreme Flavours & Market Trends

18:00 Quality vs Co-Fermented Coffee Debate

21:30 Consistency Challenges in Experimental Processing

25:30 Can Big Brands Scale Co-Fermented Coffee?

27:45 Future of Coffee Innovation

29:00 Final Thoughts & Where to Find Edwin’s Coffee

Want more coffee content? 

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ 

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ 

 Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hany Ezzat is the Founder of Ni Wares–creating science backed cups for coffee competitions and elevated everyday use. He also just won the Next-Gen Talent Award at MICE2026. We caught up with him at the expo to talk about what the win meant to him, as well as his recent (and controversial) use of the xBloom in a filter competition, why he thinks young people aren't as engaged in specialty coffee, and the importance of multisensory design.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

01:55 Who is Hany Ezzat?

03:40 Starting Ni Wares

06:05 Designing competition cups

08:50 The science of taste perception

11:45 Multisensory coffee experiences

14:20 Using xBloom in competition

17:05 Innovation vs tradition in coffee

19:40 Why young people disengage from specialty

22:10 The future of coffee tools

24:40 Advice for competitors & creators

26:45 Final thoughts

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Hany Ezzat: https://www.instagram.com/barista_hany/

Ni Wares: https://ni-wares.com/

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/

Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If anyone truly lives for coffee, it’s Nolan Hirte. Founder of the wildly successful Proud Mary Coffee, Nolan’s passion for coffee bleeds out into every aspect of his business, making Proud Mary an iconic name across Australia and the U.S. 

We spoke to him at MICE26 about Proud Mary’s journey scaling to the U.S, as well as mood-based coffee labelling, barriers for young people entering the industry, and the Honduran producer who won the Cup of Excellence using a recipe from ChatGPT! CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro & Nolan Hirte

02:08 Coffee Journey & Passion

04:09 Creating a Coffee Experience

06:20 Why Storytelling Matters

08:05 Making Specialty Coffee Accessible

10:26 Sponsor: Marco MilkPal

11:07 Expensive Coffee Debate

12:44 Attracting New Coffee Drinkers

15:00 Simplifying Coffee Communication

18:22 Hospitality & Customer Experience

21:31 Building Team Culture

29:36 Future of Coffee & Technology

37:33 New Ideas & Coffee Experiences

41:53 Industry Shoutout & Outro

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Nolan Hirte: https://www.instagram.com/nolan.hirte/ 

Proud Mary Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/proudmarycoffee/ 

Want more coffee content? 

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ 

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ 

Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Canada to Amsterdam; Dak’s Founders Veronique and Louis give us the low-down on starting a business abroad. Operating as a coffee-only retail concept, Dak's physical shop acts more as a tasting space rather than a traditional cafe. They play with in experimental processing methods - think hibiscus cultured wash - and lean in to evocative and flavour driven branding. Tune in for a fantastic conversation with the founders who are doing it differently!

00:00 Intro

01:12 About DAK Coffee

03:48 Coffee Range Explained

06:05 Experimental Coffees

10:56 Choosing Coffees for Customers

14:22 Working With Producers

18:57 Explaining Processing

19:54 Coffee Market Update

21:12 What Is Coffee?

22:20 Testing New Coffees

27:05 Fermentation Basics

31:40 Team Perspective

35:15 Where to Buy DAK

36:00 Outro

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Dak Coffee: https://www.dakcoffeeroasters.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakcoffeeroasters/ 

Want more coffee content? 

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at [email protected] for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ 

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ 

 Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/

Thanks for listening! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices