When we started Kopi late last summer we were adamant that we wanted to provide both an exceptional product and customer service. It's something that we've stood by throughout our short life. I think we're succeeding on both fronts. But, we're not resting on our laurels and continue to review and analyse every aspect of the product and customer experience.
However, we've received a few tweets, emails and Facebook wall comments over the past week or so from members who have been less than completely satisfied with some aspects of our bag that we deliver the coffee in.
Let me first explain why we chose the bags we currently use.
Due to our size we are not currently in a position to custom make our own bags. That would be prohibitively expensive at this stage in the company's life. So, we've had to use what is commercially available in bulk. But, in choosing the bag we kept in mind the guiding principles we formed when we started Kopi. Namely, an exceptional product and customer service. As such there were a number of factors which led us to choosing the bag we have.
- We wanted a bag that could stand up - picture 1 above. There is nothing more frustrating that having a coffee bag that falls over spilling its contents when you're brewing a fresh cup.
- As there is such a short timescale between our coffee being roasted and sent out we needed a bag that had a one-way valve - picture 2 above. This is to ensure that the CO2 freshly roasted coffee beans emit can escape.
- We wanted a bag that was resealable - picture 3 above. We looked at bags that had sticky resealable strips but felt they weren't secure enough and too fiddly. Also, they tend to lose their 'stickiness' after a few opens and reseals.
- We wanted to deliver our coffee in foil. This keeps it at its absolute freshest. The enemies of fresh coffee are air and moisture. Foil, rather than paper, helps to shield the coffee from these two elements.
All these factors played an important part in our selection of the current bag.
However, it is point three that some of our members are having problems with.
During transportation from our packing warehouse to the member's letterbox the seal occasionally becomes clogged with coffee grounds, as we flatten the bags slightly to fit in the slimline box. As such, when they try to reseal the bag it pops open, exposing the coffee to one of its chief enemies - air. (This is only a problem with members receiving their coffee pre-ground)
There are a number of ways to overcome this. Wiping or brushing the seal to remove the grounds for example, or resealing from the edges of the bag inwards. We could seal the bags with their mechanical seal prior to the heat seal at the top of the bag. However, the seal is still prone to popping open whilst in the hands of Royal Mail.
What we're doing to combat this problem
We're reviewing our bag choice to see if there is another bag design that ticks all the boxes outlined above and delivers the coffee in the best condition possible.
If you have expressed on Facebook, Twitter or via email that you have experienced the specific problem outlined above we will be contacting you individually to discuss options to remedy the situation. If you have this issue then please do get in touch with us soon.
I'm sure you can appreciate that dealing with the relatively long lead times of bag manufacture means that we won't be able to deliver a redesigned bag in the next month. Maybe not even the month after. But, we are very conscious that it is something we need to remedy.
I hope this helps to convey our thoughts on this matter. We thank you for your patience and invaluable feedback. After all, without it, it would be difficult to fulfill our original vision set out when we started Kopi.
Thank you for your continued support.
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