Coffee is undeniably great, and it’s much better when it’s freshly brewed. However, brewing takes time that most busy people can’t afford. Kweku Larbi created Brumachen and teamed up with social media star Ross Smith. The company sold portable coffee brewers and eco-friendly coffee pods. They featured on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. Brumachen is worth $0 as they went out of business in 2021.
The Founders
Originally from Ghana, Kweku Larbi immigrated to the United States with just $2,000 to his name. He studied civil engineering at Cleveland State University and worked odd jobs to pay the bills.
Ross Smith is a social media influencer from Columbus, Ohio. He rose to fame making silly videos with his grandmother. Ross and Grandma Smith are hugely popular on TikTok, with over 23.9 million followers on the platform.
The content creator has collaborated with brands like Burger King and the NFL. Larbi connected with him while working on a coffee startup. Essentially Kweku is the brains behind the product and Ross was involved mainly because he has a large following.
Founding Brumachen
While working on construction sites, Larbi became dependent on coffee to get him through the day. However, there were no good coffee vendors near where he was working. This ignited the idea of a coffee machine that he could take anywhere.
The engineering student created a prototype for a single-serve portable brewer with the use of a 3D printer and Brumachen was born. Along with it, the creator made biodegradable coffee capsules called Leaf Pods.
During their collab, Ross loved Kweku’s idea and decided to partner with him. In 2020, the co-founders launched a Kickstarter campaign, asking for $6,000 but ended up raising $41,553 from 470 backers,
Shark Tank Pitch
Although they had a successful Kickstarter campaign, the founders struggled with manufacturing and shipping. They badly needed help and appeared on season 12, asking for $1 million for a 10% equity stake.
Ross and Kweku delivered a confident pitch, clearly articulating the rationale behind the product. They further explained that Brumachen had a profit margin of 60%. However, things went south when they revealed how little they made in sales.
A $10 million valuation was insanely high for a business with $41,000 in sales. The Sharks liked the product but Mark and Robert thought the design could be improved. The pitch would have gone better if Kweku was by himself and had a reasonable valuation.
Why They Failed After Shark Tank
The founders didn’t get the money they wanted, but got enough publicity to keep the business afloat for another nine months Based on Kweku’s LinkedIn profile, Brumachen closed down in 2021 as they struggled to generate worthwhile sales.
The Brumachen brewer and pods were only available on their website, Brumachen.com. Despite raising over $40,000 on Kickstarter, many backers reported not receiving their coffee makers or receiving defective units. The company cited unexpected shipping costs and financial constraints as primary reasons for these issues.
Brumachen’s social media activity ceased in January 2021, and their official website became inactive, indicating a halt in operations Brumachen didn’t report any recent sales figures.
Kweku Larbi is now founder and Creative Director of Baxter Wood Company, a sustainable clothing company. He also established The Greenboard, a non-profit organization aimed at funding the construction of schools in developing countries. Smith returned to his career as a social media influencer, continuing to create content and collaborate with brands.
