Interview with RonOrp on No Normal Coffee
Our founders Alexander and Philippe had the honor to sit down with the team at Crowdify and talk about no normal coffee and why it is the best coffee for the outdoors. Crowdify is the platform we used to do our first presale/crowdfunding campaign.
20.02.2024, Zurich, Switzerland
Yes, you read that correctly: no normal coffee is coffee and comes from a tube. The innovative founders Alexander Häberlin and Philippe Greinacher talk about how the idea came about and how sustainable the coffee from the tube really is in the interview.
Coffee from a tube – one has to come up with that first. How did this idea come about?
The idea was born while touring in the Swiss Alps. When you are outside for several days, you have to make do with the minimum of comfort. The instant coffee sticks were definitely not highlights, so the idea was born: There needs to be a coffee that tastes far better than the instant alternatives and is as handy as my toothpaste. Thus, no normal.
According to the project description, you can even eat your coffee. Tell us about that.
Our goal was not to present people with a coffee paste to eat; we wanted to develop a higher quality coffee for drinking. But when we started with the tastings, things really took off. Everyone had their own ideas about how no normal coffee could be consumed: on a piece of bread, with a fruit, along with a protein shake. We are already big fans of no normal coffee on dried fruits and with banana.
Hand on heart: What's in the tube? Real coffee or flavoring?
Hand on heart, none of that. Quality and sustainability are our top priorities. We use 100% Arabica coffee from Fairtrade cultivation from South America. Further, we use Swiss organic beet sugar, which is harvested and processed half an hour from our production.
What are your hopes for the Crowdify project for the coffee from the tube?
As a young Swiss startup, we want to encourage the dynamic community to give an innovative Swiss idea the push to establish itself on the market. Crowdify is twofold for us: On one hand, thanks to the pre-orders, we can plan our first production as efficiently as possible; on the other hand, the many boosters also help us spread the message and make no normal coffee known by word of mouth.
Why did you choose crowdfunding as a financing option?
Until now, we have financed the entire development of the recipe and the brand no normal coffee with our savings. Now we are at the point where larger amounts are due to take the next steps. The Crowdify community is a blessing for us, and we are super happy with every boost. The financial contributions are very valuable, but what is even more valuable to us are the many messages and pre-orders that validate our idea and show that there is great interest in no normal coffee.
Can you already draw first learnings from the crowdfunding?
As already mentioned in the name, the crowd is essential. The more people we reach with our campaign, the greater the chances that a project will be successful. Sometimes one forgets how much work goes into spreading a message. We are extremely grateful for our network of friends, acquaintances, and family who have been boosting our project since the beginning of the campaign.
We have heard that coffee is becoming scarce worldwide. What do you say to that, and what impact does it have on your revolutionary idea?
Like all plants, coffee is also strongly exposed to climatic changes. But in terms of coffee, there is a lot of research being done on how to make the plant more resistant without using more land or more water. Robusta varieties, for example, are interesting because they are more robust and provide a more stable income source for farmers. Therefore, we do not believe that coffee will become scarce in the near future as a whole.
Is there anything else we absolutely need to know about you and your coffee from the tube?
Coffee is just the beginning for us; we have big plans with our brand no normal. We are also aware of what it means to found a company in 2024 and have committed ourselves to a sustainability strategy. In just a few years, we will leave a Net Positive Impact along the entire value chain.