Kweku Larbi and Ross Smith, at first glance, appear to be unlikely business partners, but they have teamed up to bring the Brumachen Brewer to market. The personal, portable, single-serve coffee maker provides a quality brew wherever you are—and at a reduced cost.
The all-in-one Brumachen weighs only a pound, measures 11 inches by 2 ½ inches, and has a very simple design: the bottom section heats the water; the upper section brews the coffee. You have a choice of power sources: a 12V vehicle outlet, a 120 V/240 V outlet found at home or in the office, or a portable battery.
Brumachen serves up a cup of coffee in six minutes.
- Pour tap or filtered water into the bottom section. (Filtered water is preferred; it prevents the build up of sediment.)
- Drop in a pod: The refillable pod that comes with the brewer for your own favorite brew or an organic Leaf Pod* made by Brumachen. These pods are biodegradable, made from sugarcane to save the planet (and the landfills) from the 10 billion plastic pods that are discarded each year and that take 400 years to degrade. The Brumachen is also K-cup compatible. Leaf Pods are available in Donut Shop, Morning Blend, French Roast, and Colombia.
- Plug the brewer into a power source.
- Push the button.
- In six minutes, you can detach the cup and enjoy a ± 6 oz. fresh brew. (A larger model is in the works.)
The idea for Brumachen began with Kweku. He came to the US from Ghana for his education and received a BS in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University. While working on construction sites, he would want a cup of coffee and the nearest shop was miles away. He was sure there must be a solution. So he got right to it, developing the concept and design, sourcing the necessary parts, using a 3D printer to produce the prototype, testing the durability and quality of the brew, and finding a manufacturer in Asia.
In the meantime, Ross was becoming a social media superstar with 13 million followers. He first became famous by filming his grandmother and himself dressed up in outrageous outfits in unexpected situations. When he was not working on his social media empire (and make no mistake, it is, indeed, an empire—Internet stardom is preposterously lucrative), he developed partnerships with world-class brands (e.g., the NFL, NBA, Burger King) and consulted with them on how best to use social media resources. He also kept an eye out for ecommerce products that he liked and offered their founders the chance to advertise on his platform for a cut of the profits. Ross considers himself “the Mark Cuban of the Internet.” And that’s how he and Kweku met up and became partners.
