Coffee People: Sahand Dilmaghani, Terra Kaffe

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Guest: Sahand Dilmaghani
Company: Terra Kaffe
Role: CEO/Founder • Based: Brooklyn, NY
Online: https://www.terrakaffe.com/ • @TerraKaffe on Instagram & YouTube
What they drink: Double espresso or a cappuccino

SHOP TERRA KAFFE MACHINES

It isn’t often that I chat with a guest for twenty minutes before even getting to the topic at hand. With Sahand, it was easy to forget that the TK-02 machine, a super-automatic coffee experience machine complete with an app-based interface, was the inspiration for connecting. Rather, we launched right into motivation and meandering careers and then delved into what makes for good leadership.

I found myself reflecting on how my opinions on those topics have changed throughout my career. Sahand pointed out how important it is to be honest—with yourself and your team—about the things that have shaped the expectations he has as a founder. It was refreshing to hear him acknowledge that for as much as he knows it is important, work-life balance is just a distant oasis while the company is still in product launch mode.

Season 11’s finale episode is everything that I hope for when I begin plotting the trajectory of this show. It features a cool coffee machine, sure, but more importantly we delved into the depths of what motivates, inspires, and how to create enough momentum to persevere. Our foundation as humans becomes part of the fabric of the companies and the products—or art, or service—we put into the world.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST

Sahand grew up a 1st generation American living a quintessential Jersey lifestyle. Albeit, less Jersey-shore, and with more emphasis on learning languages.
His parents, both architects and in particular his mom, encouraged him to see things through, to take his tinkering one step further until eventually, he was running a business organizing an ultimate frisbee league almost by accident.
Terra Kaffe produces bean-to-cup coffee experiences because Sahand was looking for a machine for himself, but he couldn’t find what he wanted with the quality and modern aesthetic he assumed would be available in the models he found on the shelf. He found himself in the unique position of having the passion, opportunity, and skills required to create the thing he wanted.
How do you build a team? Do you look for character traits, skills, or something else entirely? As a leader, do you demand a certain level of fealty or expect the same motor of engagement from your staff or colleagues as you have yourself? How do you ensure the team cares about the thing as much as you? According to Sahand, it helps to have a shared North Star and “Strong opinions held lightly.”

“Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.”
-Bryan Chesky, Founder of Airbnb

The TK-02 is a mini-cafe for the at-home or office consumer, but it isn’t (or at least wasn’t) meant to be a substitute for a great coffee shop experience. Rather it is intended to provide the convenience of having quality coffee and coffee drinks brewed for you on daily basis. More of a replacement for fast coffee than engagement with the coffee community.
Convenience is critical, especially in combination with quality, and especially in America.
The app connected to the machine isn’t only about giving consumers control in the place they are most engaged (the phone), but also to offer Terra Kaffe the ability to continue improving their machines via Over the Air (OTA) updates, and respond directly to the desires of the consumers. It helps avoid obsolescence.
Being a founder often means giving up balance. Work/Life balance might be the goal, but it isn’t always feasible. If you’re pushing to the limit, be sure to note where your areas of strain are, and be prepared for a future in which you need reinforcement.
You’re not alone if you’re a founder feeling doubt.
Brooklyn Coffee > Manhattan Coffee. I didn’t say it. He did! Although, I may have pushed him into it.

Terra Kaffe and Sahand recently hosted a fireside chat at Fast Company's Innovation Festival around the design behind the TK-02 (the session is titled Brewing Innovation: Combining Tech and Design for the Ultimate Coffee Experience). We’re looking to find video of the event, and will share in our Bean Journal when it pops up.

Available in white or black, the TK-02’s design is meant to be modern and aesthetically pleasing on the countertop.

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I’ll be serving up coffee to mtb’ers and campers at the San Diego Mountain Biking Association Trailfest in October. Details & Get Tickets!

ROAST! INDUSTRY PARTNERS

A huge, on-going thank you to all of this show’s industry partners.

I checked in with Richard from Me & My Uncle this week. He was on the set of a huge franchise movie working his day gig as a cinematographer, but mostly dreaming of coffee. We’re going to connect again next month for a pop-in. Stay tuned.
Hacea Coffee Source has a fresh crop of El Salvador coffee from Mario Valiente with Finca Colomba now available. I’m partial to Colombia coffees, so…if you roast some up, let me know. On the Hacea blog they’ve profiled the winners of the 1st annual Hacea Roasting Competition. Click the button below to read and be inspired.
HACEA ROASTING COMP WINNERS!

Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • Steady State Roasting • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Green Coffee • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Sivitz Roasting Machines • Craft 42 Roasters • Me and My Uncle Coffee Roasters • Cozy Canine Coffee