Originally Posted by
biggestbopper
This may be the biggest marketing hustle since the Gillette brothers thought up their razor blade scheme--and the environmental impact is large. All those wasteful capsules.
I was recently in the fancy, dancy story in Lisbon. It was impressive--and indicated by its very fanciness how huge the margins must be.
Personally, I find Peet's coffee and many others to be at least as good, if not better--and a whole lot cheaper.
Nice looking machines, though.
Apparently more ecologically responsible ways to use the machines are coming soon--there are several lawsuits about Nestle's claims no one can put out compatible pods.
You've not heard of patent laws? Just like Apple, Nestle opted for a proprietary closed system for which it holds the patents. This means it has an exclusivity to its invention and process for a period of time to allow it to recoup its investment. Like LEGO a decade ago, Nestle's patents will be coming to an end in a year or two and any company can make and sell compatible capsules. Nothing sinister about how patents work.
Yes, a recycling program has started up in Europe where this is far more advanced for every product than in the USA. It will eventually become commonplace world wide.
As for cost, that's a personal cost/benefit analysis you'll have to make. Many of us have adopted this system because we used to waste as much as we drank, so this is a very effective means of eliminating this waste and over consumption of coffee.