LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GE’s FirstBuild™ is announcing the development of its new Pique Coffee Brewer by launching the Cold Brew Challenge: a product design competition drawing upon the power of crowdsourced design and the FirstBuild community. Pique is expected to go to market this summer on Indiegogo, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform. In a bold move, FirstBuild is offering a portion of the proceeds from the Indiegogo campaign to the top three challenge entries. Information on both the product and the challenge can be found at piquecoldbrew.com.
A microfactory in the heart of the University of Louisville’s campus, FirstBuild designs, builds and sells the next generation of innovative home appliances. FirstBuild is brewing up the core technology, but is reaching out to the community to create a beautiful design.
Why cold brew?
The options for hot coffee at home are virtually limitless—drip makers, French press, single-serve cups, pour-over—but consumers prize cold brew (coffee brewed in room temperature water) for the smooth, balanced flavor profile resulting from its low acidity. A satisfying cup of cold brew traditionally comes with a 12- to 24-hour wait. Want cold brew on a balmy summer Saturday? Hope it was started last night.
But why wait? Like the Opal™ Nugget Ice Maker and the Monogram® Pizza Oven before, the minds at FirstBuild have helped tackle a kitchen conundrum with the power of technology. FirstBuild has developed the capability to make a full pot of rich, deeply flavored cold brew coffee in under 10 minutes, a 98 percent reduction in brew time.
And now FirstBuild needs the community’s help.
Take the challenge
FirstBuild is offering its registered community members the chance to once again show off their extraordinary industrial design capabilities and user-experience insights by entering the Cold Brew Challenge. Here’s how it works:
- Not a FirstBuild member? Sign up for free at www.firstbuild.com
- FirstBuild members can download and take a look at initial CAD design files and decide where the potential lies—or scrap it entirely and start from scratch
- Take advantage of a special free download of Autodesk Fusion 360
- Submit innovative designs by March 27, 2016
Winning designs will be selected by the FirstBuild community and a panel of selected design experts in early April, followed by a summer 2016 pre-sale and crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in order to help fund development and marketing for launch.
“We’re looking for beautiful, functional design that will wow coffee enthusiasts,” said Taylor Dawson, product evangelist at FirstBuild. “Cold brew is different—it’s richer, smoother and more aromatic than typical iced coffee, and we need the product design to match.”
And for the first time, FirstBuild is offering 1 percent of the campaign funding from Indiegogo to be shared by the winning designers, up to $30,000 in total awards. While the amount of funding varies and there are no guarantees, FirstBuild’s most recent Indiegogo campaign for its Opal Nugget Ice Maker received more than $2.77 million in funding.
“Interest in cold brew coffee has grown exponentially in the last five years. Pique is positioned to serve a passionate existing customer base looking for a better cold brew experience,” said Dawson. “FirstBuild’s co-created products are on the leading edge of the appliance industry. It’s that collaborative approach that continually results in fresh thinking.”
To learn more about the Cold Brew Challenge, visit http://piquecoldbrew.com/.
About FirstBuild
GE’s FirstBuild is a global co-creation community that harnesses the brainpower of the maker movement to change the way major home appliances are conceived, designed and manufactured. A physical state-of-the-art microfactory on the University of Louisville campus and online forum, FirstBuild speeds products from mind to market and enables customization through small batch production, without the costs and risks of traditional mass manufacturing. For more information about how to get involved, visit FirstBuild.com.
