Melbourne is renowned for its café culture and high-quality brew. It’s here that locals, Ben Goodman and Jai Felinski have teamed up to offer disposable coffee capsules which they say live up to Melbourne’s coffee reputation.
“I was working really late in the office one day and we were dying for a good coffee," says Pod & Parcel co-founder Ben Goodman.
“The only thing we had though was a little Nespresso machine.
“We tried it, it was alright, it didn't taste that good but we thought, how cool it would be if we could use the beans in the coffee of our favourite cafés during the day and use that in the Nespresso machine.”
It was from that late night coffee that the idea behind Pod & Parcel was born.
Australians love a good coffee, with more than half the population having a brew a day and it’s proving to be big business for Pod & Parcel.
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“I remember a couple of years ago, we used to sell one or two boxes a week,” says Ben.
"Now we swing 1000, 2000 boxes minimum a month.”
Ben and Jai started the business by partnering with their trusted cafes in Melbourne. But earlier this year, they researched and connected with an independent roaster who now makes the coffee for the Pod & Parcel brand.
“Our partnership with our roaster is fundamental in sourcing great coffee,” says Ben.
“They have the connections with the farms and the countries themselves and so we work closely with them to source the right Arabica for the pods.
“We source from over three-four continents and over 15 different countries.”
“We source from over three-four continents and over 15 different countries.”
Since launching the online store in 2015, the pair has experienced their fair share of mishaps such a delayed shipment to customers.
To help them streamline shipment and increase efficiencies, Ben and Jai have chosen to outsource their warehouse needs.
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“We've partnered with Australia Post and their service Fulfilio,” says Ben.
“Up until around three months ago, we were packing boxes every day, three to four hours between us both, it was killing us".
Another lesson for the pair was understanding the environmental impact of their pods.
“We actually started out with a recyclable pod, thinking that that was a really good option,” says Pod & Parcel co-founder Jai Felinski.
“It turns out, it isn't.
“When we found that out, we were kind of a bit heartbroken because we set out to do something really good for the planet.”
Since mid-last year Ben and Jai have re-engineered their capsules so that they are now biodegradable and compostable which means they will disintegrate within 18 months.
Ben and Jai have this candid advice for others looking to pursue their own business.
“When you're starting a business, you have to realise that it's probably not going work,” says Ben.
"When you're starting a business, you have to realise that it's probably not going work".
“It’s all just throwing things against the wall, and seeing what sticks.
“If you go in with that mindset that you're not failing, you're just learning, you stumble across things and you get insights that you otherwise wouldn't have realised.”
