Three Years of Knocking, One Handshake: FoamAroma at World of Coffee San Diego

For three years I tried to get in front of Black Rifle Coffee Company. Calls, emails, the whole routine. Then at World of Coffee in San Diego, they walked up to our booth. That is the thing about this show: the people you have been chasing finally come to you, and they show up ready to talk.

Over three days we had 183 conversations. Roasters, shop owners, baristas, importers, equipment makers. Some were old friends, a lot were brand new. Here is what stood out, and why I left San Diego more convinced than ever that the to-go cup is overdue for a rethink.

The hard part is getting the first sip in their hand

Selling a lid in a room full of people who came to taste coffee is a strange job. Nobody walks the floor thinking about lids. My whole challenge is getting someone to slow down long enough to actually try one.

I joked with a few people that I thought about putting a FoamAroma lid on a fishing rod and casting it out into the aisle to reel folks in. But the truth is, once we start talking, it is slam bam. The product does the convincing. You hand someone a cup with a FoamAroma lid, they take one sip, and the conversation changes completely. The aroma comes through. The foam is still there. They are not burning their mouth. You can watch it land on their face.

The customers who find us become evangelists

What still surprises me is the emails. People write to us about a lid the way most people write about a great meal. I would bet the farm that no other coffee cup lid on earth gets emails like the ones we get. That passion is the whole business in a sentence: when the to-go experience is actually good, people notice, and they tell you.

A shout from the stage we did not see coming

Section held back. The draft said Heather Perry of Klatch Coffee Roasters named FoamAroma from the stage during her presentation. Craig confirmed (6/24) there is no slide, recording, or quote, only a Klatch barista who mentioned it at the booth afterward. We will not publish an on-stage citation we cannot source. If a slide, recording, or a direct line from Heather or Klatch surfaces, this goes back in immediately. Until then it stays out.

The prospects that made the trip worth it

A few conversations could genuinely change the year:

• Black Rifle Coffee Company. First in-person contact after three years of outreach. The door is finally open.
• Lucky Goat Coffee. Talking about a custom-branded lid order, the kind that justifies new tooling. They are expanding as a franchise, which makes the timing even better.
• Nightswim Coffee. Asked for pricing on the spot. That quote is still on my list to send, and it is moving up.
• Philz Coffee, San Francisco. Their sustainability and purchasing lead wanted to talk greener packaging that does not sacrifice the drink.
• David Rio Coffee & Tea. Here is a fun one: a soup lid. The single-hand-drink benefit is not just coffee. Tea, hot chocolate, and yes, soup. There may be a whole market next door to the one we are in.

One lid, every hot drink

The David Rio conversation crystallized something I have believed for a while. FoamAroma is not really a coffee accessory. It is a better way to drink anything hot from a to-go cup with one hand: latte, drip, tea, hot chocolate, soup. Same aroma, same control, same no-burn first sip. The more shows I do, the more that range comes up on its own.

Good company on the floor

A show like this is also about who you bump into. Mike Wolfe of American Pickers swung by the booth, which was a fun surprise and a reminder that a genuinely good product gets attention from all kinds of people. I worked the booth alongside Cathy, who is as much a part of this story as anyone.

What's next

I came home with a notebook full of follow-ups and a short list of relationships to push forward. Franchising and customizing are in the plans for a lot of coffee businesses right now, and I am working with several coffee shop franchises on special pricing, custom colors, and custom branding embossed right on the FoamAroma lid.

If you run a specialty shop and you have not tried a FoamAroma lid yet, email us. We will send you a sample pack. One sip is usually all it takes.