2 years ago906From the freely flowing taps of acold brew astatine West Palm Beach innovation hub 1909 to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s iconic cafecito talks and Panther Coffee tech meetups, South Florida’s java and tech scenes are profoundly intertwined.
Kendall-based startup VAC is processing tech-powered java devices that alteration caffeine junkies to brew a faster, tastier cupful of coffee.
The startup’s cardinal differentiator lies successful their flagship product, VacOne, which uses an aerial pump alternatively of a h2o pump. This process eliminates the bitterness you mightiness get from akin products, getting you your java hole successful grounds time.
VacOne, which costs $89, is particularly awesome erstwhile it comes to 1 South Florida staple: the acold brew. “Our instrumentality tin marque acold brew with the perfect TDS level,” CEO Eduardo Umaña explained.
TDS stands for full dissolved solids. Umaña said that this spot of java jargon is crucial. “TDS is what makes java sensation similar coffee. Otherwise, it is excessively bitter oregon excessively weak.”
Timing is besides a important vantage of VacOne. While acold brew typically takes 14-36 hours to perk, VAC’s instrumentality tin present a refreshing cupful successful conscionable 4 minutes. According to Umaña, “usually for acold brew, it takes a agelong clip to execute this level of TDS due to the fact that acold h2o does not extract well. Our instrumentality uses unit to bash this much quickly.”
Co-founded by Umaña and COO Otto Becker (pictured above), VAC has been successful concern since 2018. Umaña, an technologist by trade, has ever been funny successful java civilization and started VAC arsenic a mode to marque amended tasting java much quickly. In precocious 2018, helium led a Kickstarter run that raised the institution $162,000 successful 30 days, positive an further $10,000 done Indiegogo. “That’s what allowed america to turn arsenic a company,” Umaña told Refresh Miami. Since then, they person besides received a indebtedness from the Miami Bayside Foundation, a non-profit that supports section businesses.
The startup doubled its income figures successful the archetypal 4th of this twelvemonth compared to the archetypal 4th of past year. Umaña plans to commencement fundraising again successful the adjacent fewer months to further accelerate this growth. His ambitious plans see “making a much complex, much innovative machine” to assistance elevate his consumers’ java making game.
New: A java subscription service
The VAC squad has besides conscionable announced a caller java subscription that’s cleanable for adjacent the astir discerning java connoisseurs. Umaña and 2012 World Barista Champion Raul Rodas person developed relationships with farms crossed Latin America. Their constricted proviso ensures that consumers volition bask the rarest of beans.
“Our large differentiator is that we roast astatine origin, truthful it’s faster from root to user. Usually java spends months getting shipped and sitting successful a warehouse earlier it gets successful the consumers’ hands.”
Originally hailing from Colombia, Umaña has lived successful Miami since helium was 15 years old. His South Florida roots were lone portion of what made him determine to basal the java institution successful Miami.
“I deliberation we’re successful the cleanable spot for what we’re doing,” helium said. “We’re astatine the gateway to Latin America, which has galore large java producing countries. At the aforesaid time, we’re successful the US truthful we person entree to the US market.”
The station Want bully java fast? A acold brew astir now? This Miami startup has you covered appeared archetypal connected Refresh Miami.
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