What Happens When Coffee Meets The Cloud?

By Leon Foo, co-founder of coffee-tech start-up Morning (Pictured)

Being connected to the cloud is not what naturally comes to mind when drinking your morning coffee. But when my co-founder and I first set up Morning in 2018, we knew we wanted to be different. Our dream? To create the Dyson of coffee machines.

We spotted a gap in the market. Pods were everywhere, but quality capsules were few and far between. 

One brand was dominating the market, but they only made machines to optimise their capsules and coffees, and not necessarily ones created by third-party roasters. We wanted to create an alternative that made speciality coffee more accessible.

My love affair with coffee began in 2009 when I became fascinated with both the art and science behind this incredibly underrated beverage that unites people from all around the globe.

There’s so much that goes on behind-the-scenes, from growing to roasting that the average drinker sometimes struggles to understand. I then started my own coffee roastery and found great joy in serving and helping people discover their next favourite cup. 

These interactions between customer and barista were incredibly precious but limited to the confines of the coffee shop.

Fast-track to 2018, my experience working in the coffee industry coupled with my co-founder’s background in IT consulting helped us realise the value in utilising software and integrated tech to enhance the at-home coffee experience. With the mission to make better coffee more accessible, Morning was born. 

The Morning ecosystem consists of three parts: the Morning Marketplace, the Morning Machine and the Morning Mobile app. It is enabled by a wireless cloud server connection to bring incredible value to the end-user.

The first key benefit we wanted to bring to customers was consistency. The Morning Machine contains precision-brewing features enabled via automation, borrowed from commercial coffee equipment.

Automation enables convenience and consistency without the need for separate heating and grinding equipment. So users can enjoy quality coffee without the hassle and guesswork.

Secondly, convenience is at the forefront of the Morning ecosystem. COVID-19 has reshaped the coffee industry.

With more people now working from home, it is no wonder online coffee purchases and subscriptions for coffee have grown exponentially, the latter saw an increase in 109%. We are seeing home coffee drinkers shifting their spending to better quality coffee or even trying new roasters or coffees. 

The Morning Marketplace is a one-stop-shop featuring coffee capsules from the world’s most celebrated specialty coffee roasters. 

Via the Morning Mobile App, users are just one swipe away from accessing any of the recipes developed by our partner roasters. Giving them the ability to replicate café-quality coffee in the comfort of their own homes.

Finally, connectedness. This is where the cloud really shines through. The Machine is always connected with built-in Wi-Fi, enabling over-the-air software updates for users to enjoy the latest features.

It also connects with the Morning Mobile App giving users access to a repository of recipes which can be saved directly to the machine.

And it doesn’t stop there. Even after a user’s first brew, the Machine’s features are still at work.

Data collected from temperature, weight and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) sensors trigger notifications to extend the longevity of the machine and also informs our development for future updates.

The future holds endless possibilities for us. From a seamless in-app coffee-buying experience integrated into the Morning app, to a community-based recipe review and sharing platform.

Creating a connected coffee experience where users can receive informed choices based on their preferences, and ultimately expand the world’s access to good quality coffee. That’s what happens when coffee meets the cloud.