In a country where the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee market is projected to soar from USD 6.46 billion in 2024 to $8.61 billion by 2029, the craving for a premium brew is palpable. Countless coffee connoisseurs not only prefer the expedience of on-the-go varieties but also favor robust coffee concoctions that sustain their vigor, creativity, and steadfastness.
The ambitious team behind Bizzy Cold Brew coffee is acutely aware that diligence can be exhausting. Hence, the brand’s co-founders Alex French and Andrew Healy are fiercely focused on recognizing—and recharging—industrious individuals relentlessly pursuing their aspirations. The organization has inaugurated a nation-spanning, monetary competition to venerate the “Bizzy’est Person in America.”
Renowned for crafting intensely robust coffee, the innovators at Bizzy Cold Brew are not unaccustomed to audacious initiatives. With a leading prize of $50,000 and another $20,000 allocated for nominees, the enterprise has summoned all “Bizzy bodies” to exhibit their zeal and ambition for an opportunity to triumph in the competition—garnering cash as well as the glory. Recipients of the award will additionally rejoice in a year’s provision of smooth, potent Bizzy Cold Brew coffee for themselves and up to five collaborators. To further acknowledge the toil of industrious participants, those placing fourth and fifth will each receive a year’s worth of Bizzy Cold Brew as well.
Hereinafter, Bizzy Cold Brew’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Alex French illuminates the motives behind the competition and how the label is carving a niche in the RTD coffee sector.
AF: Indeed, our organic certified, drink-ready cold brew coffee is available in upwards of 7,500 supermarkets nationwide, inclusive of venues like Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Stop & Shop, H-E-B, Ralphs, Publix, Fred Meyer, select divisions of Kroger, among others. Bizzy’s coarsely ground coffee as well as the brew packets are accessible via Amazon, Walmart.com and directly from the Bizzy Cold Brew domain.
MK: Can you recount the origins of the company?
AF: Born from a deep passion for the beverage, my partner Andrew and I initiated brewing cold brew coffee in our constrained flat in 201antrying, after growing weary of the steep cafe prices. Harnessing Andrew’s expertise in R&D Engineering, my knack for Consumer Research, and our collective fervor for continual enhancement, we’ve endeavored to concoct the optimum cold brew out there.
We pored over every facet – bean provenance, roast profiles, grind dimensions, brew temperatures, and durations, filtration techniques, packaging, plus preservation. Subsequently, we began bottling our concoction, offered samples for pals to critique, and relentlessly refined our coffee formulations daily.
After dedicating three years and substantial funds to coffee research, kitchen space rentals, and bottling, we took the plunge, converting our zeal into a livelihood. Bizzy has since flourished, with a comprehensive brewing house, dedicated team, and support staff of cold brew enthusiasts. These days, quite a few of the top retailers both in brick-and-mortar and online assortments honor Bizzy Cold Brew on their shelves.
MK: Please elaborate on your bean selection and the overall brewing modus operandi that distinctively positions your coffee offerings in the cluttered marketplace?
AF: Unsurprisingly, choice coffee commences with top-tier beans. Extensive exploration led us to select some exceptionally palatable organic certified Arabica beans, superb for cold brewing. Our USDA Organic Certified coffee sprouts in some of the most esteemed coffee territories globally.
We then proceed to coarsely mill and meticulously sieve the beans for uniformity. Mastering the roast, we fine-tune various beans to divergent shades, cold brew, and assess which concoctions are most delectable.
An essential element of our approach is the infusion duration. Our drinks are steeped leisurely for 18 hours and cold filtered, manifesting the most robust and savory coffee achievable.
MK: Can you distinguish between your range of roast variations?
AF: Bizzy’s Light Roast features hints of floral and citrus zest. It is our most caffeinated roast profile at 302 mg per helping.
The Breakfast Blend is an equilibrium of fruity, chocolatey, and toffee-tainted flavor profiles, offering 275mg of caffeine per serving.
Medium roast presents a harmonious caramel and hazelnut melody. This roast contains 277mg of caffeine per recreation.
Our Espresso Roast encapsulates flavors of chocolate, berries, and brown sugar, with a caffeine content of 273mg per delivery.
Irrespective of a coffee enthusiast’s preferred flavor spectrum, Bizzy caters to all palates.
MK: Much consideration is dedicated to the particle size of coffee. How significant is this in the brewing process?
AF: Indeed, achieving the optimal grind is pivotal for a high-quality, consistent cold brew, and Bizzy takes this very earnestly. Too fine and your coffee may turn out over-extracted and acerbic. On the flip side, if it’s overly coarse, you might end up with an under-extracted and tart taste.
Our precision grinding renders the coffee to an exact coarseness, culminating in the flawless granularity for cold brewing.
MK: You’ve spoken about micro-sifting before. Could you discuss this element of your craft?
AF: Micro-sifting is a procedure that truly distinguishes our coffee. Post-grind, the beans undergo a series of sieves which remove any inconsistent granule sizes, bequeathing us with the archetype coarseness for cold infusion. This process guarantees a consistent, potent and suave cold brew experience.
MK: Are there additional unique aspects that differentiate your coffee from competitors?
AF: Absolutely. It’s the exhaustive attention to minutiae throughout every phase that amalgamates to form an exceptional product. Starting with the water, we employ reverse osmosis purification to contribute to our stellar cold brew.
We also meticulously regulate the infusion temperatures to ensure standardization from batch to batch. While such rigor may seem excessive to some, we recognize that every minute variable influences the end result. Though it might be labor- and resource-intensive, we refuse to compromise on our cold brew’s superior quality.
Time is critical when engaging in the brewing process. Indeed, that’s the foundational concept enabling cold brew coffee; time is substituted for heat in the brewing equation. Every batch of Bizzy is brewed for 18 hours, surpassing the duration most other cold brews endure. Admittedly, it’s an extensively long period. Nevertheless, it results in the most robust, silkiest flavor with an optimal caffeine jolt.
Additionally, warmth has no place in creating cold brew. It’s counterintuitive to its essence. The absence of thermal influence, coupled with an extended brew duration, endows cold brew with distinct taste qualities preferred over traditional hot coffee. Sweetness and a lower acidic profile emerge from this omission of heat. The outcome is a potent, velvety cold brew.
MK: In what ways, if any, is your establishment engaging in environmentally responsible practices?
AF: In our quest for “the unceasing strive towards excellence,” the drive goes beyond our product—though we find it near perfection. Our cold brew is pivotal to our achievements, but our endeavors reach further. We’re constantly evaluating and enhancing our fidelity to sustainable practices. Data guides every facet of our business, including formulating our eco-friendly objectives. Our journey towards carbon neutrality and recycling all spent coffee grounds by 2025 along with our goal to move beyond plastic by 2030 is progressing through regular assessments and refinements. Our shift to utilizing bottles comprised of 100% recycled consumer materials for our cold brew is a development we celebrate with pride. The Bizzy “Brew Crew” may be lean, but we’re fervently committed to improvement every single day.
MK: What sparked the initiative for the Bizzy’est Person in America Contest?
AF: Since the inception of our venture in 2013, we’ve maintained a celebration of aspirational energy. This competition serves as a homage to individuals who, with their undying vitality and drive, instill inspiration. Our contest’s intention is to honor those visionaries, pathfinders, challengers, and pioneers who invest unfaltering dedication to their visions. The core aim is to support those emblematic of Bizzy’s ethos—those with a zealous pursuit of mastery in their endeavors.
MK: What do you envision participants gaining from the contest, and what reflection does it cast upon your company?
AF: Determination and a penchant for embracing risk has proven beneficial for my business partner Andrew and me, culminating in our thriving enterprise. The journey hasn’t been without its challenges; it’s demanded an exponential investment of labor, yet that exertion has realized our entrepreneurial aspirations. In acknowledgment of our efforts, Ernst & Young have distinguished us as recipients of the EY “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award in the Heartland region! Participants with ambition can forward their applications to our contest’s webpage – bizzycoldbrew.com/bpa – within the timeframe of June 1 to July 27, 2024. Subsequently, the public will select the Bizzy’est Person in America through their votes from August 1 to August 22, 2024.
Embracing an undying commitment to excellence on every front, Bizzy steadfastly advances the frontier. Not only does the company redefine the taste of superlative strong cold brew coffee, but it also applauds and uplifts individuals relentlessly striving toward their goals.
Image Source: BizzyColdBrew.com
