Designing Coffee Gear People Actually Use | DOM SYMONS from Subminimal!

What does it actually take to turn a coffee idea into a real product?In this episode, we sit down with Dominic Symons, Founder of Subminimal and designer behind tools like the NanoFoamer and Subscale. We unpack what separates genuinely useful coffee equipment from the endless stream of gadgets hitting the market.From identifying real problems behind the bar to prototyping, manufacturing, patents, and raising over $1.5M through Kickstarter, Dominic shares what most people misunderstand about launching a product, and why simplicity is often the hardest design challenge.We also explore copycat culture, protecting ideas, and why many concepts should never make it past the sketch phase.If you’ve ever wondered how coffee tools actually come to life, this episode is for you.If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

subminimal.com

@subminimal

Products mentionedNanoFoamerNanoFoamer PROSubscaleFlick WDT Tool

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

00:24 Meet Dominic Symons (Subminimal)

02:04 Raising $1.5M on Kickstarter

03:01 Is Kickstarter Still Worth It?

04:33 Product Development Reality Check

09:15 Why Milk Frothing Needed Innovation

12:35 From Side Project to Global Product

14:09 What Makes a Great Coffee Tool?

15:41 Copycats, Patents & Protecting Ideas

18:22 Product Ideas That Didn’t Make It

23:25 How to Start Designing a Product

26:36 Finding Manufacturers & Production

28:08 Real Cost of Launching a Product

32:11 Filming the Kickstarter Campaign

34:17 Coffee Market Update

36:16 Brands Pushing Innovation

37:11 Coffee Trends That Might Be Overhyped

39:09 Where to Find Subminimal

40:01 Outro

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree…

Want to get in touch?

Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Marco Beverage Systems: instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems

Apax Lab: apaxlab.com

Condesa Co.Lab: condesacolab.com.au

Riverina Fresh: riverinafresh.com.au

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