February 4th, 2025 – Odyssey Espresso

Good day Everybody,

We constructed and shipped 88 machines this previous month regardless of operating into manufacturing hiccups. We’re getting nearer to our purpose of ~100 machines monthly. We’ve seen regular progress in gross sales all through This fall 2024 and into Q1 2025.

Manufacturing Updates:

We had 3 manufacturing gradual downs this month. Boiler cap alignment pins that had been ordered the day earlier than Christmas bought misplaced within the mail for two weeks which left us ready early within the month after we ran out of present stock. The overnighted replacements additionally had a climate delay. We now have sufficient provide of those pins for the rest of batch 3.

It’s been a wrestle to get good high quality sandpaper within the measurement we want for refinishing the unique 60 units of stainless elements that we obtained by air within the fall. After sporting by way of the unique set of 82in lengthy belts from China (Amazon), I sourced some domestically within the US on account of a a lot shorter lead time. What I didn’t know is that I ordered the skinny model of the belts which created ripples from the bump of the seam. After extra analysis I discovered the identical firm makes a thicker model much like the unique belts from China. These carried out higher, however nonetheless not as easy because the originals. I used to be capable of finding the unique belts restocked on Amazon weeks later and ordered 2 units of these to get again to the sleek end.

Ending these plates is a 3 step course of which I discovered on my second journey to China final fall. I used to be in a position to replicate their brushing setup on a a lot smaller scale. I begin off with a rough belt to take away deep scratches and imperfections. I then transfer on to a center grade, then finer grade to get a easy really feel however brushed end. This difficulty was particular to this small cargo of elements and has subsequently been resolved within the shipments after.

The final decelerate was restrictor valves. The brand new elements we obtained had been higher than the earlier batch however nonetheless totally different from the unique ones we used firstly of manufacturing over a 12 months in the past. Points with restrictor valves usually imply that we’re QCing every machine way more than we should always have to. The techs can normally really feel a distinction in the way in which it pulls and the temperature knowledge is out of our typical vary.

We spent a while testing out modifications to the brand new elements and had been in a position to choose some manufacturing updates in home which produced constant outcomes. This meant that we had been swapping all the restrictor valve elements in every of the machines that had been flagged and performing a brand new set of two QC runs.

The brand new orders of fill tubes and heating components have arrived each with excellent matches. Every of those will assist velocity up the builds ever so barely. The usage of 3d printed check match jigs have confirmed profitable as we’ve by no means had such persistently good becoming elements from these suppliers!

We appear to have additionally resolved a majority of the fogging boiler gauge points! We discovered {that a} mixture of tolerance stacks because of the manufacturing methodology of the gauges would typically result in the gauge o-ring not being compressed absolutely and permitting some steam to seep previous and get underneath the cap. We’ve been testing and utilizing thicker o-rings which offer higher squeeze whatever the gauge manufacturing tolerances. Some gauges do nonetheless have points however the quantity needs to be a lot much less and we are going to ideally be catching all of them throughout the preliminary QC testing.

Random:

William despatched over this video the opposite week about what it takes to carry a product thought to manufacturing. I believe this creator did a implausible job at strolling viewers by way of every thing from ideation, prototyping, and discovering suppliers to high quality management and gross sales.

A part of the rationale this video is so nice is that it breaks down the arduous course of for a comparatively easy product created from a single materials and provider. Whereas the steps for us are virtually the identical, elements for the Argos come from a number of suppliers throughout China, Italy, Taiwan, and USA and performance requires electronics, pressurized water, transferring elements, and security compliance.

In the future I’d like to make an analogous video that’s extra targeted on our operations, however till then, please take pleasure in this spot on stroll by way of of precisely what we’ve been doing for the previous 5 years.

Product creation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gTz_JmlYtQ

Talking of which, we’ve formally hit 5 years in enterprise!!! Time actually flies!

For these which might be new right here, Ross got here up with the thought and began sketching designs in the direction of the top of 2018 simply after transferring to Colorado. This began as a enjoyable, inventive undertaking stemming from a scarcity of what he wished in the marketplace. An inexpensive, fashionable wanting lever machine with up to date electronics.

2019 was a 12 months of continued sketching, 3D CAD modeling, fatigue evaluation, enterprise planning, and product technique in Ross’ free time.

January 2020 is when the LLC was shaped and issues began to get actual. The primary prototype was manufactured and assembled with preliminary testing kicking off later that 12 months. This was once we began on social media as a technique to gauge curiosity within the product and decide market feasibility.

2021 was spent sourcing suppliers and having preliminary pre-production models made for continued testing and proofs of idea. William joins in on the enjoyable! Pre-orders had been opened on our website with overwhelmingly constructive response and we started to kick off manufacturing of the initially launched elements. 2 designers had been introduced on half time for the subsequent 8 months to assist take the prototype design to a manufacturing state with refined match, end, and performance.

Design, manufacturing, and fundraising continued in parallel by way of 2022 and our first technicians had been employed later that 12 months. We assembled elements as they arrived and commenced testing and formulating meeting procedures.

2023 remaining elements arrived and we started delivery models whereas rising the group. Ross was too scared to rent full time techs as we had been nonetheless determining what the heck we had been doing however half time schedules had been troublesome to handle and we would have liked to extend manufacturing fee so we determined the beginning hiring full time on the finish of the 12 months.

Manufacturing was sporadic all through 2024 as we continued to make design refinements to resolve meeting points alongside the way in which. A number of drawback fixing. The constant small updates to design, meeting, and high quality management made stock administration slightly chaotic. Some months had been nice and different months had delays. We shipped a complete of 536 machines final 12 months.

2025 is an thrilling new stage within the enterprise. We’re beginning to have a deal with on stock with our techs holding observe weekly. Numerous procurement classes are being carried out to scale back defects and enhance manufacturing high quality. We’re simply over a month in and have already shipped 18% (96 machines) of what we did in 2024.

To everybody who has remained affected person from the beginning, we thanks as you’re the rationale this enterprise is feasible! We sit up for persevering with to offer high quality espresso machines whereas pushing the bounds of what’s attainable in dwelling espresso.