Coffee from the Cloud

Interview with Coffee Cloud Founder Miroslav Kovac

Coffee and espresso machines have become very trendy over the past few years. Before, you had to grind and filter the coffee yourself; now all you have to do is fill your machine with fresh coffee beans and water. With a press of a button, the machine does the rest. With Coffee Cloud, it’s become even more up-to-date.

What is Coffee Cloud?

Coffee Cloud is a plug and play solution for coffee and espresso machines that monitors production in real time. Our device can be installed in the machine within twenty minutes and helps users optimize the quality as well as quantity of their coffee production.

How exactly does it work?

With our device, one of the things we can do is control the exact amount of coffee poured. This way, you avoid miscalculating coffee so that you come up too short. We can guarantee our users an up to 20 percent increase in turnover. Our equipment can also monitor the coffee quality by informing the user about the maintenance condition and usage conditions. Coffee Cloud also regulates sales by giving suppliers notice as soon as the coffee supply nears its end. And most importantly: you can use Coffee Cloud from your mobile device, and access all your data on the cloud at any time.

Who is Coffee Cloud primarily intended for?

Coffee Cloud is primarily intended for café, bar and restaurant owners, as well as for coffee suppliers. Café, bar or restaurant owners can also use our device to monitor coffee sales and their employees. With our real time transmission, you can see what time the largest amount of the coffee is sold at, and so adjust your service and selection accordingly. The suppliers are informed as soon as the coffee supply at individual locations comes to an end. That way, you can do something about it right away and offer and deliver new coffee. But even coffee roasters and machine manufacturers can take advantage of our equipment.

How did you come up with the idea of developing such a device?

I used to sell my coffee in my own café. Apart from that, I’m an electrical engineer and have always had a tendency to think of how you can make things better with simple devices. That’s also why I invented Coffee Cloud. I wanted to improve my own business. On top of that, I also really like to travel. As the owner of a café, there’s not much time for that, because you always have to keep an eye on your business. With the Cloud, I’ve found a way of monitoring my employees and business, and most importantly, taking action when necessary.

Why did you apply at Techstars METRO Accelerator?

We applied at the Accelerator because we wanted to use the amazing opportunity the exchange with experienced mentors offered us of developing our product some more and with their technical expertise to bring to an end unfinished processes in establishing our brand.

What have you gained from Accelerator so far?

A lot of new doors have opened for us thanks to the Accelerator. METRO has a lot of influence in the food industry and has put us in touch with influential people who can definitely help us in the future. R/GA can also help us a lot by working out our final design with us.

Why did you decide to become a founder? What do you like about it?

I love making my own decisions and taking responsibility for them, even when they don’t work out they way I want them to. Founding my own company was the right decision and I personally can’t imagine ever working in another position again.