Starbucks buy Clover!

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Postby Tristan » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:26 am

Wow, I remember reading that but didn't remember the Starbucks bit. Good prediction.
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Postby kingseven » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:04 am

Coffee prices are on the rise too - so a few of my predictions are looking quite safe! I have much to say about the clover thing, but things are a little busy (as people are installing some nice kit as I type - so excited) so it may take a day or two to get up on the blog!
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Postby Aadje » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:02 pm

The demand for (specialty) coffee is high I presume.
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Postby EspressoSquirrel » Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:01 pm

kingseven wrote:(as people are installing some nice kit as I type - so excited) so it may take a day or two to get up on the blog!


are they installing a couple of starbucks branded clovers then? you did predict you would get some this year?? :P
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Postby Sharpjd » Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:00 pm

I really can't see how anyone can suggest that Starbucks buying Clover is positive. Maybe you're in denial but the biggest player in a market buying the production and patents for the best technology (as some believe Clover is) and then with-holding them from everyone else is not a step forwards...and isn't good news for anyone other than Starbucks. Competition is the only thing that will push coffee forwards...this is essentially the biggest guy taking advantage of his power, also known as monopolistic behaviour.

Fortunately for the UK filter isn't the big market, espresso is...and there's a very long list of people making espresso machines.
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Postby AlexV » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:04 pm

I knew the Clover was expensive but this must be a mistake
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Postby lukas » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:38 pm

Last price I knew was 11000$, not 50000.
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Postby EspressoSquirrel » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:08 pm

i suppose you can't buy them anymore, demand must be high for the few around, jims blog puts the number at 300?

sounds like whoever has one has made quite an investment
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Postby Chrisweaver » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:47 am

yeh I'm pretty annoyed that Starbucks bought one, it was something me and richard were casually considering, and now.... not a chance in hell. I feel sorry for the designers, as their machine is destined to a life of abuse, bad maintenance, and terrible coffee

RIP clover!
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Postby Jasonscheltus » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:33 pm

i imagine the designers got looked after quite well.

but yes, for us, RIP clover.
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Postby espressomattic » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:36 am

why are youall being so bloody negative? why don't you just begrateful that a machine that would otherwise be pretty obscure will make it into the public relm and produce good coffee.

Or is tht it is just Starbucks that gets your goat. I just don't get this snobbishness really. Have you actually thought out of the box that it may be a good thing that it has been sold or are you happy being blinkered here?

I can only see it as a good thing as they will have to put quality coffee through it to achieve the right result. I still say good on them and I hope it is a success. I apologise for not joining the bandwagon here :?
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Postby Beanie » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:44 am

espressomattic wrote:...will make it into the public relm and produce good coffee.... I can only see it as a good thing as they will have to put quality coffee through it to achieve the right result.:?
Are you certain that's what they'll do with it? I'm not really on either side... but I believe they bought the 'tech' and perhaps IP on it. I'm thinking there's a possibility Starbies may want some of that tech to put into designing a home-use machine that they can sell to the masses. Why just put one clover in their own shops if they can sell millions more?
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Postby bruceb » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:55 am

Some things can only be understood if you have a negative attitude towards them.
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Postby Steve » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:40 am

espressomattic wrote:why are youall being so bloody negative? why don't you just begrateful that a machine that would otherwise be pretty obscure will make it into the public relm and produce good coffee.

Or is tht it is just Starbucks that gets your goat. I just don't get this snobbishness really. Have you actually thought out of the box that it may be a good thing that it has been sold or are you happy being blinkered here?

I can only see it as a good thing as they will have to put quality coffee through it to achieve the right result. I still say good on them and I hope it is a success. I apologise for not joining the bandwagon here :?


I think the problem here Matt is that do Starbucks have the coffee to bring the best out of this machine ? I'm not so sure, its a bit like giving a sports car to a student, sure they will be grateful but will they get the best out of a powerful car or will it all end in tears?

I think its a bad thing for coffee.

But the good news is there is a blooming market for Hugo's upside down aeropress and Bravalor are excited about having the market to themselves :)
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Postby Chrisweaver » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:12 am

Firstly, why assume that people are annoyed because its Starbucks!! I'd be annoyed if anywhere bought all the rights to some great new technology, whether it be Nero, Costa, Lavazza, or even Espresso Vivace.

it hasn't been brought into the public realm, it has been bought out and removed from the public realm, and as such now its unavailable, we'll only get one kind, or maybe two coffees through it, and chances are, they'll be low quality...

I'm saying this from the point of view of someone who might've had one in his shop, it would have seen a different CofE coffee each month, and it would have produced great coffee, cheaply for anyone who wanted to come in.

However, now its been bought out by Starbucks, you'll have no choice, no variety, no experimentation or pushing of the machine to its limits like us barista's like to.

The beauty of the coffee industry is availability, people have commercial machines in their houses full of modifications, everything is scrutinised, questioned and improved. But with moves like this, whats going to happen to new technology..?
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