The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
Slate's $20,000 EV Revolution, How Courial is Changing Premium Delivery, Sinking Cities, Coffee Without Beans
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What happens when one of the world's richest men decides to challenge Tesla with a $20,000 electric vehicle that strips away every non-essential feature imaginable? We're diving deep into Slate, the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup that's reimagining affordability with plastic body panels, hand-crank windows, and a revolutionary "bring your own device" approach to infotainment.
But that's just the beginning of our tech exploration. While innovation races forward above ground, something troubling is happening beneath our feet. Major American cities from Chicago to New York are slowly sinking - millimeters per year that compound into serious infrastructure threats. We'll unpack the science behind urban subsidence, revealing how groundwater extraction, building weight, and even ancient glacial adjustments are literally changing our urban landscape.
Meanwhile, in the premium delivery space, former Uber driver Herb Coakley is proving that relationship-focused business models can thrive against tech giants. His company Curiel has attracted 100,000 drivers and counting by embracing a radical concept: when you treat workers well, they deliver exceptional service. It's white-glove delivery with purpose, connecting luxury hotels, high-end retailers, and even Hollywood production crews with professionals who move with purpose.
And for coffee lovers, we're examining a brewing revolution you might not have expected - beanless coffee. As climate change threatens traditional coffee production and prices soar, companies are creating molecular alternatives from surprising ingredients like date pits and chickpeas. Will consumers embrace these innovative brews, or will coffee purists resist the change?
Join us for a fascinating journey through these technological transformations reshaping how we move, build, deliver, and even enjoy our morning cup. The future is arriving faster than you might think - and it looks nothing like we expected.
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Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket Curiel, the premium delivery alternative, why your city may be sinking and the beanless coffee race. To join the conversation, call or text the TechMobility hotline, that number, 872-222-9793. Or you can email the show talk at techmobilityshow. Be sure to subscribe, like and follow us on social media, our YouTube channel and, for those of you that subscribe to Substack, you can find me there too, At Ken the letter C, iowa spelled out. So that's Ken K-E-N the letter C, i-o-w-a. I am there as a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. I am fortunate to be in a group of many August award-winning and distinguished writers, poets, nationally known folks. If you are not getting news and commentary from Substack, you are cheating yourself. Check it out, see what I mean From the Tech Mobility News Desk.
Speaker 2:It's time we talk about this. It's a company called Slate and you might have heard, maybe in passing and maybe not, about this new bare-bones, low-price, ultra-designed, under $20,000 vehicle that's being bankrolled by Jeff Bezos. Yeah, that Jeff Bezos, and he's going to take on Elon Musk. And ironically, slate is an anagram of Tesla, just so you know. It is a bare-bones electric pickup truck and, of course, jeff Bezos is joined by two venture capital funds with him, but they expect to retail this truck for under $20,000 with the federal EV tax credit, assuming it still exists. If it doesn't, it'll be a $27,500 truck plus destination charges. The key to this truck and we're going to get into a little more, but the primary value proposition for the truck is one you bring your own devices to provide the infotainment while driving. There's no radio, there's no infotainment screen, none of that, no Bluetooth. Bring your phone, that's it. This is bring your own stuff, and the vehicle is configurable, whether you want a pickup or SUV, either one. You can design it and also Paint. You can wrap the vehicle in different ways and they have kits for that. Slate comes with brackets to hold your phone, tablet and Bluetooth speaker, but it does not come equipped with either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
Speaker 2:They're not going to sell this through dealers, which is an interesting thing. Vw's Scout is trying to do that Tesla did. They ended up in court a lot and that remains to be seen whether or not a vehicle like this will get that kind of traction. They've taken a different approach and tried to cut it to the bone. And oh, no power windows in this hand crank windows and if you don't know what those are, ask your grandparents. They know, they remember, chances are. But yeah, this is bare bones.
Speaker 2:And let me give you some context. If you go back about 40 years ago, when the Japanese first came to America with vehicles, they brought small, compact pickup trucks, bulletproof, plain Jane, did not break, and almost every Japanese manufacturer was selling them and you could buy one smack brand new for less than $8,000. And it didn't matter whether it was a Mitsubishi, a Nissan, a Toyota. The only company that really didn't offer you something like that back then was Honda, but pretty much everybody else did, including Mazda, and Mazda had a built truck, the B2000. All of those trucks were inexpensive, ruggedly made and lasted forever, and they were all over the place.
Speaker 2:This group believes Slate believes that there is a market, once again at the very low end, at the entry level, for a vehicle like this that if they cut everything to the bone and get rid of a lot of the stuff that you can do without or otherwise get around, that they can get the price of the vehicle down. Now, why does this matter? We've said it here many times and I'll remind you again the current average transaction price, not the sales price, not what's on the sticker. The transaction price, the price at which the deal is made to buy the vehicle, is hovering on average for a new vehicle in the United States of America, $50,000. That means half are below, half are above.
Speaker 2:So when Ford came out four or five years ago with the Ford Maverick which was a hybrid, or you could get a gasoline and the hybrid was priced just under a tick under $20,000, the response was such that Ford was sold out of that model for two full model years and Ford, being a much larger company, would offer more than Slate. But then again you've got the fullness of the Ford parts bin and the size of the Ford motor company to beat the price down, because Ford wasn't doing any heavy engineering. They was picking parts out of the parts bin and still made for a pretty remarkable truck. Out of the parts bin and still made for a pretty remarkable truck. I reviewed that truck in Nashville about five years ago and was amazed, as I was going down the highway at highway speed, plus a little bit-ish, my fuel economy average fuel economy was actually increasing. So I understood it.
Speaker 2:Slate is looking to tap into that. Here's the challenge though. For example, instead of steel or aluminum. Slate's truck body panels are molded of plastic. It means you've got a superstructure that will hold them, but you're not touching metal. You're actually touching plastic. Question number one I live in the upper Midwest. It gets brutally cold up here in the wintertime. Things get brittle up here at 40 below, 50 below, 60 below. Will this plastic be brittle and if it gets tapped, break, shatter? That could be expensive, unlike steel or aluminum, which you just take it. So that's one thing to think about. Because there is a lack of paint, they're not painting these trucks. You can wrap them in various wrap kits to reflect color or design or whatever you want.
Speaker 2:Their point is that this truck is affordable, deeply customizable. To give you an idea, you can transform it from a two-seater pickup to a five-seater SUV and that when the vehicle does actually launch, consumers can choose from a hundred different accessories that buyers can use to personalize the truck to their liking. So let's be real for a minute. They're talking a sub $20,000 price for the basic truck. You and I both know by the time you get this truck the way you want it, it's going to cost anywhere from three to five grand. More than that Because if they've got a hundred different accessories. You're going to want some of them Because you know a basic truck, yes, but you're not going to buy just the basic truck. You're not. That is why most automakers now what they sell is the high end of what they build and that's where the demand is and that's why they sell it. So it'd be interesting.
Speaker 2:Here's something that I'm trying to figure out how they're going to get around, and it's a quote. It's been engineered and will be manufactured in America. Okay, I've told you this many times, the American auto industry is capital intensive. It takes millions, if not billions, of dollars, hundreds of thousands of square feet of plant space, machinery equipment, people engineering, things you've got to verify to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, all of that stuff. How are you going to do this?
Speaker 2:Partially one, and they don't talk about it in the article. Partially one for this to happen, this process has to be extremely even for an auto plant, extremely automated, because they've got to get those costs down. They're going to have to probably have a modest profit with the base truck, but they're going to probably load profit into those accessories. That's the way the auto industry works. That's the way I would expect this to work. So the question is if the federal EV credit goes away and if you end up wanting some accessories, does this under $20,000 truck end up being now an over $30,000 small truck and if so, will that dim its prospects? We'll see. White Glove Service driver empowerment. We'll see.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page. Social media is the place to be these days. We're no exception. I'm ken chester, the tech mobility show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show, from Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between. We got you covered. Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search bar, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 4:This is your chance, america, to show the world's great road cars just how good an American car can be. The name of this great new car is Pontiac 6000, an exciting new front-wheel-drive automobile that does its talking where it counts on the road road. It's loaded for bear with an electronically fuel-injected four-cylinder engine, mcpherson strut front suspension, power rack and pinion steering, and available V6 or diesel Pontiac 6000. Now the excitement really begins.
Speaker 2:Okay, so much to unpack here, so I will give you the cliff note. This was 1982. The Pontiac 6000 was part of a group of cars known as the A-Bodies. They were also the Chevy Celebrity, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra, the Buick Century were all on that chassis. It was GM's first kind of family-sized front-wheel drive cars front-wheel drive cars and this is them, trying to build excitement into a vehicle that, honestly, compared to the other vehicles and the nameplates were what we call badge-engineered. You know it didn't really have a faster engine, but they were trying to make you think it did and the things that they bragged about. But it was 82. It was 43 years ago 43. And Pontiac hasn't been a brand since 2009. So that's literally 16 years ago that Pontiac went away. But yeah, it was a big deal. Pontiac was the excitement division of General Motors and they did have some performance. We should talk about the old Firebirds from back in the day sometime and I'll share with you my experience with the WS-6 Ram Air Package Scary stuff, but really fast.
Speaker 2:Here's a name I want you to remember because you're going to hear it In the future. You're going to hear it and I want you to understand this is one of the first places in the United States. You have heard it here. First, the man's name is Herb Coakley. Herb Coakley Normally you wouldn't know Herb Coakley.
Speaker 2:He used to be a driver for Uber and Lyft. You might have known him because he founded an outfit called Maestro that's M-Y-S-T-R-O. Had known him because he founded an outfit called Maestro that's M-Y-S-T-R-O, which was an app that helped gig workers juggle multiple platforms. But, like so many entrepreneurs that start a business, you get a business going, you bring people in, they kick you out Happened to him and he found himself back driving for Uber and he came up with an idea. The idea is Curiel, a premium delivery service that respects the people doing the work and wows the people receiving it. This is big. This is topic A. What makes this business so incredible in today's world?
Speaker 2:He did not go to a venture capitalist, he did not go to the bank, he did not go to the SBA, but the vision that he had for this business was so clear and I'm not even lying to you that, as he shared it like any entrepreneur would share it, obviously, while he was driving, one of the people he was carrying was willing to invest again. That is how he started Maestro and they wrote him a check for $100,000. No bank, no pitch deck, just believing in the vision. He did not say how much money he raised that way with Curiel, but he did say it was the same thing and I want you to let this sink in in 2025.
Speaker 2:Mr Coakley is a man of color. Number one. Number two access to capital for a small business is a challenge, regardless of what business you're in. And remember, now he's going up against Uber and Lyft, companies that have been in the space, companies that are worth billions of dollars, billions. And yet his vision was so defined, so clear, so compelling, that someone was willing to back him. He did not have a pitch deck, which, if you don't know what that is, it's a proposal, typically, that you present to potential investors about your business. It has projections, what you expect to do, your marketing plan, your team, all of that. He did none of that. He didn't stop there. He is building a world-class brand without relying on venture capital. But he said you know, I didn't just start Curio, I lived it.
Speaker 2:And he realized the inequity of how Uber and Lyft treats drivers and their customers. And he realized the inequity of how Uber and Lyft treats drivers and their customers. This time, though, he thought that he wanted to build a company. That's about empowerment, that's about creating a premium delivery service I'm talking white glove delivery service that respects the people doing the work and wows the people receiving it. Every service that respects the people doing the work and wows the people receiving it. Think, if you're not used to the private car business, you used to see a lot of black Lincoln Continentals, lincoln Town Cars same kind of thing, very personal service. I have been a customer of those. You have your driver and they pick you up and they take you wherever you want to go. With Uber and Lyft, even though they've tried to keep a piece of that or build out a piece of that, they've largely commoditized ride hailing and ride sharing. You don't get that level anymore, and because of the way that they treat their drivers, there's really a disincentive for your drivers to go that extra mile, do that extra thing. And this is where, in the true spirit of capitalism, that Herb Coakley saw an opportunity To answer the question.
Speaker 2:Curiel operates in a competitive logistics space. What sets your platform apart from Uber, doordash and the rest? Here it is. He says the big guys, they play the numbers game, something you should remember, and this applies to all small businesses. We play the relationship game.
Speaker 2:Curiel is designed to be more than just another app. It's a trusted extension of your brand. Those are not just words to Herb Coakley. He goes the extra mile. We focus heavily on presentation and performance. Our folks show up on time, looking sharp and moving with purpose. In some companies I've heard that called moving with urgency.
Speaker 2:And he admits if you're driving for Uber or Lyft, it doesn't automatically mean he'll take you. It's not easy. We're a white glove and we're strict, meaning he's got standards and if you can't deliver elite service, you get deactivated. He wants nothing to do with you and even with that high bar, his business right now, curiel against Uber and Lyft and DoorDash. He's got 100,000 drivers on his platform now, with a 30,000 driver waiting list right now. And you probably never heard of Curio If you were going to look at the secret sauce that Herb Coakley figured out, it boils down to this when you take care of the workers, they take care of the customers and most platforms miss that completely. But anybody who's in the customer service, anybody who gets it, knows you take care of your people. Your people will take care of you and they will take care of your customers. You can't expect an employee to be 100% for the customer when the company is 50% for them. It don't work that way. He calls it a white glove energy and he's going towards those organizations and outfits that have a need for that Luxury hotels, high-end retailers, health and farm healthcare and pharmacy partners needing secure, timely delivery, and even Hollywood. They've got a relationship with Hollywood for film, tv and commercial production crews. It boils down to this If you care about professionalism, speed and trust, carrillo is your ace. Do it. The land underneath some of the largest cities in the United States is sinking.
Speaker 2:This is the Tech Mobility Show. Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere you can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be. We're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Several times a week I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility Show on TikTok. Check it out.
Speaker 2:Chicago, dallas, columbus, ohio, detroit, new York City, indianapolis, charlotte, denver, houston and Fort Worth. What do these cities have in common? 98% of the cities I just mentioned have some sort of what they call substients going on. If you don't have enough to be concerned about right now, consider this the land underneath those cities is sinking, threatening roads, rail lines and the like, according to new research. But ironically, that substience is not happening in the same way in each place or even across one city.
Speaker 2:What's going on? This is topic B. It is a slow, gradual sinking. In other words, it's not dropping inches or feet every year, not like our coasts. And for the most part, a lot of those cities are not on the coast, they're in country. I mean Chicago, dallas, columbus, detroit, indianapolis, denver, houston and Fort Worth. They're not near any coasts, while this has been a concern in coastal cities, obviously, but researchers say that sinking inland can destabilize infrastructure as well as worsen flooding during storms, and they talked about a multitude of things going on pulling water from the aquifers underneath these cities, other types of construction in progress, from the aquifers underneath these cities, other types of construction in progress. But we're talking and you wouldn't think this, so let me put this in perspective for you. I said it wasn't feet and it wasn't inches. We're literally talking millimeters per year, but if that happens every year you know, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years it's a major issue. Give me an example A stadium key to the annual US Open Tennis Tournament has been steadily sinking over time, requiring a lighter roof to reduce its weight. One runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, which is located on a former landfill and has undergone renovations, is also a key piece of sinking infrastructure.
Speaker 2:A lot of these cities have grown out, grown up, with less than stable ground, and that's part of the problem. Other cities it's a bunch of things, including and if you can believe this, the very things that have happened millions of years ago are still impacting some of these cities. Along the East Coast and Great Lakes region, the land is mostly slowly sinking in response to the melting of glaciers from the last ice age and there's a term for that. It's called glacial isostatic adjustment. That was millions of years ago. This is still happening and I know I get it. You know you're sick of hearing about climate change, you're sick about hearing about all this stuff, but you need to know, if you are a planner in these big cities, if you are looking at infrastructure in these big cities and you are needing to spend millions, if not billions of dollars for roads, bridges, pipelines, other service things, for utilities, electricity, internet access, all of this stuff, it matters Because just a little bit over, maybe 15, 20 years, could cause some real problems and outages. And what they're also saying is because of this gradual sinking and it's slow, but it will make things even worse in these cities due to flooding and weather when extreme weather hits them.
Speaker 2:In the case of New York, the weight of the buildings is literally pushing down the soil. The concrete jungles also absorb more heat, which can be transferred underground and can deform the soil and rocks, and this is the case of Chicago. If you think about this, cement holds heat. The more cement you got, the more heat it holds, particularly in the summertime, and the slower it cools and we think that's all just above ground, but that heat goes into the ground and starts to manipulate the soil in certain ways. That's what's going on in Chicago.
Speaker 2:In the case of the Pacific Northwest, it's a whole different game. You are in the ring of fire, you are, you've got where two tectonic plates are coming together, so that's a whole different thing that they've had to deal with for years. The Pacific Northwest is subject to tectonic plate activity, where one plate goes underneath another plate and drive sinking. But that has always been, and what you get as a result of that, when that pressure is released, is an earthquake, with all the resulting damage and manipulation of ground and all of this stuff.
Speaker 2:The researchers say that honestly, the special stuff aside, the most dominant cause of sinking across most locations is the pumping of groundwater for drinking and agriculture. They determined that removing groundwater caused 80% of the sinkage across those cities 80%. So not only do we have to worry about diminishing returns in our aquifers, but the fact that the aquifers are not replenishing at the rate that we are pulling from the ground has other unintended consequences, like our cities basically sinking into the ground and, as a result, alignment will be an issue. Safety can be an issue, meaning that again, if you're an urban planner, one more thing you got to look at saying, okay, I don't have to worry about it today, I don't have to worry about it tomorrow, I don't have to necessarily worry about it five years from now, but 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years, 30 years from now, particularly if I'm building buildings or planning infrastructure with a 30, 50 or longer life, I have to plan for this. And how do you plan for it? What if the rate changes, speeds up or slows down? What if climate change or weather or extreme events throw at a curveball that was not even factored in? That changes the equation? These are the things that urban planners are looking at in terms of laying out cities and making sure that goods and services can be delivered Water, sewerage, power, internet all these things that a city needs to run, that, for the most part in the inner cities, this stuff is underground.
Speaker 2:What do you do? What do you do? The rates are slow, but they are looking at it. Let me give you an idea. Here's some more that you need to think about.
Speaker 2:For example, sinking land makes flooding risks worse because it can trap stormwaters for longer periods. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the researcher found that 85% of the flooded area in the Houston-Galveston area subsided by more than 5 millimeters per year during Hurricane Helene in 2024. Subsided areas may have made it harder to clear the flooding in the following days and, if you remember 2017, houston got 40 inches of rain 40. 40. We are talking about NOAA-type flooding Arc, the whole bit. Imagine if the city's shrinking at that rate and can't void the water. Disease issues, mold issues, being able to habitate in those neighborhoods All things to concern, about All things to concern, about All things to worry. About Curveball, san Antonio had the highest risk for buildings, even though it didn't have the fastest subsidence rates. One out of 45 buildings in San Antonio, texas, were at high risk of damage as a result.
Speaker 2:As coffee beans face an uncertain future, several companies are working to develop a suitable alternative. We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow at talk at techmobilityshow.
Speaker 2:Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube.
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Speaker 2:Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, From the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:Coffee. As the cost of it continues to rise due to increasingly volatile climate patterns, the demand for coffee globally is increasing. Fun fact, the United States of America is the number one importer of coffee, yet grows very little of it within its borders. To meet this demand, some companies are considering and developing something called beanless coffee. Yikes, this is topic C. Let me be clear, and I've told you this before I'm a coffee snob. I am, and proud of it. Thank you very much. Yeah, I have my personal grinder. I have three ceramic containers full of my favorite grinds. At home, I use reusable Keurig cups with a filter. Yeah, I'm that guy. My sister turned me on to those filters. Thanks, Joyce, and I use them. Get rid of the grit, yes, and my Keurig does just fine, Thank you.
Speaker 2:I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I'm old school. I like regular cream. I don't do the frou-frou stuff, hazelnut, all this crazy stuff. I don't use oat milk Half and half. Thank you very much. My sugar I'm good. The only change I've recently made is I found a creamed cinnamon honey. That is amazing that I put in my coffee, which is excellent. Other than that, I'm coffee bean to the core, but apparently I must be in a growing minority. Now, I'm sorry. I pay for my coffee, but they say ground coffee has hit a record high of seven bucks a pound in March, up from four bucks in January 2020. All I know is when I buy my coffee, I'm paying for a little less than a pound and I'm paying between $12.99 and $14.99 for it, and it's gone up a little bit Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So what's going on? What are we doing? So what's going on? What are we doing? We've reported here a few weeks back how the Gen Zers are most likely ordering a cold coffee, loading it with creamers, syrups and other modifiers, than any age group before. Yeah, they're the ones into the frou-frou stuff.
Speaker 2:That would be my daughters? Now, I don't do that. I told you that Don't. If you've ever had an iced strawberry oat milk latte? Now, I don't do that, I told you that Don't. If you've ever had an iced strawberry oat milk latte, short answer no, no, Uh-uh, Ew, no. Then you know, these new brews often taste like nothing. The black coffee older generations are used to drinking. You're mighty right, I don't even know. I can't even get my thought process around. An iced strawberry oat milk latte? And, yeah, I go into Starbucks, all that other crazy stuff. I want vanilla flat mocha with two. No, no, wrong guy, I walk into Starbucks, it's. I want Pike's Peak. Leave room for cream and sugar. I want a medium. Thank you very much. That's me.
Speaker 2:However, all this is leading coffee to places it's never been before and to versions that ain't even coffee at all. I call it Frankenbean, Unlike conventional coffee, which is brewed from roasted coffee beans. Yes, the way it's supposed to be. Beanless coffee is made from other natural ingredients yes, the way it's supposed to be. What is that? Ew, no, I want coffee, real coffee. I have. I just bought, in fact, at Farmer's Market I got a little slate coaster that says I drink the coffee, then I do the things. Yeah, coffee, not this weird stuff. These ingredients are typically bathed with a proprietary caffeinated solution and they're roasted to create the same molecular compounds that exist in a roasted coffee bean. I'm sorry, no, I'm sorry, I'm just going to be a Luddite on this subject. No Coffee.
Speaker 2:Let's introduce you to a couple of companies trying to do this a little different. This company is called Atomo. They're a Seattle, Washington-based company that makes beanless coffee from several upcycled and natural ingredients, including date pits, potato, carrot, guava, lemons, fenugreek, strawberry fiber and sunflower. I don't even know what that is, but let me stop, because you probably heard the term and went, huh. You heard the term upcycled. I know you did, because I read it and said oh, what is that? Let me define that for you, because they use that a lot in this article.
Speaker 2:Upcycled a material reused in a way to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Can't end mine, Not waste higher quality. To create its beanless blend, a company started looking at thousands of chemical compounds within a cup of brewed coffee and engineered theirs from there. Now this company found that date pits, when marinated in a proprietary solution and roasted, produced some of the same chemical compounds that appear in coffee when brewed. Tomo patented this process and technology and spent $2 million to build a 30,000 square foot date pit upcycling facility in Coachella, California, processing five tons of date pits a day. The partners that supply the date pits the partners that supply the date pits receive shares in the company for exchange for picking up the pits. They decline to review the numbers, but they've invested slightly ahead of revenue, meaning it's not broke even yet. Date pits Now. I like dates and I love coffee. Roasted date pits in my coffee? No, no, no. I'm not there.
Speaker 2:I'm not there. I am absolutely not there. Now, what they found out is that when they're finely ground, when their mix is finely ground and subjected to high pressure like espresso, it's beanless coffee produced even more of the compounds found in traditional coffee. Then they turned around and invested $8 million more to build a second factory in Roastery and immediately started pitching its product to coffee shops, with the hope of striking a partnership. And while coffee companies and cafes weren't eager to support a replacement product, you think, but they were eager to lower their costs in an industry that's getting squeezed to thinner and thinner margins. It's all about the money. You're going to mess with my coffee because it's about the money. Potentially reduce its effect on the environment. Here's where they came up with something I'm still not sure I would do it. They call it half real coffee and half beanless, something called a 50-50 split. They wanted to do something better for the planet, and you have to do it at scale. By combining its beanless coffee with traditionally grown coffee, they found a solution that works for both cafes and consumers. So they think I don't know. How do you feel about beanless coffee? Are you one of those that go there? And you are great with the shots and all of this. I want two pumps of this and a little bit of that. No, I can't even fathom it. I'm very simple. When it comes to my coffee, I'm very simple.
Speaker 2:Another company called Voyage. They make a beanless coffee from two ingredients chickpeas and caffeine. In case you were wondering, the the other name for chickpeas, unless you were wondering, is garbanzo beans. Fun fact, it's the product of a three-step process that is much less intensive and costly than that used by many of its competitors. Again, they start with raw chickpeas, hit them with their proprietary caffeination solution, then roasted just like green coffee beans, and then ground. Who knew? For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show, from Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between we got you covered.
Speaker 2:Just enter TechMobility topics in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be. We're exception. Hi, I'm ken chester, host the tech mobility show. Several times a week, I post to tiktok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the tech mobilityility Show on TikTok. Check it out. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow.
Speaker 2:Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar, wherever you listen to.
