episode 0037- making nitro cold brew coffee possible at home with mesh gelman

After spending decades searching for his true calling, Mesh found his passion in coffee. From helping build a thriving textile business to managing Starbucks’ retail operations, his journey took an unexpected turn when his love for cold coffee led to the creation of Cumulus Coffee – a revolutionary at-home machine capable of brewing nitro cold brew.

Though Cumulus is a new player in the market, the response has been explosive, with customers flocking to get their hands on one of these game-changing machines. But how does one go from corporate roles to launching a cutting-edge tech product without a formal engineering background? Whether you're seeking inspiration for innovation or simply a coffee enthusiast, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes insights on building a successful startup from the ground up.

Show Highlights:
1- How Mesh got his start in textiles and in Starbucks. (10:00)
2- Mesh tells the story of meeting the CEO of Starbucks and transitioning out of textiles. (16:15)
3- After phase 1 in textiles and phase 2 in Starbucks, Mesh talks about a brief phase 3 before jumping into Cumulus Coffee. (22:30)
4- The number of cold vs. hot beverages coming out of Starbucks, and the gap in the at-home coffee market. (25:30)
5- Mesh gives his scientific reasoning for why cold coffee is superior to hot coffee. (30:50)
6- How did you translate your experience and research into an at-home nitro cold coffee machine? (35:15)
7- How do you pivot into a tech product with no background in tech or engineering? (41:05)
8- How did you find the people on your team to make this possible? (44:40)
9- How long did it take, and what was the process, to get this off the ground? (50:45)
10- Mesh recalls what it was like drinking that first cup of Cumulus Coffee after he’d had the idea for so long. (55:30)
11- What is the vision for Cumulus? (58:30)
12- Where can we find everything going on at Cumulus? (59:20)
13- Listener question: What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self as you started your business journey? (1:00:10)

Books Mentioned:
Who Not How by Dan Sullivan

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Follow Cumulus on Instagram: @cumuluscoffeeco

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