Have you ever wondered what a coffee-obsessed town would do? Stupid question I know. Of all the things in the world, why would you ever wonder about that! But just in case you have – for the past couple of weeks all that Portland (the coffee-obsessed town. And no I don’t think you’re stupid – just clarifying the name of the town! Aren’t we touchy?) has been talking about is Starbucks and their decision to buy Clover. Not just some more Clovers – the $11,000, networked, hyper-programmable machines that seem to have single-handedly raised America’s interest in single-origin brewed coffee – but the entire company. Coffee Equipment Co., the Seattle-based manufacturer of the Clover, was revealed to have been purchased outright, as part of the Green Nymph’s bid to re-establish itself as a place that makes good coffee.
The Clover is a beautifully designed piece of hardware. Extremely modern in both appearance and function, it’s doubtful it would have developed the cult following that made it so desirable to Starbucks in the first place was it not. And with the recent take over happening, there is a debate as to whether the purchase of the company is about the pragmatism of the deal or the takeover being more symbolic. About what? I don’t know! Talk to the people of Portland!
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