Client Profile: The Coffee Catcher

With a focus on French Press Coffee products, The Coffee Catcher is evolving the way we experience the French Press. Here is a brief profile of their first product, The Coffee Catcher, and the inventors behind the innovation.

The Product.

The story of the Coffee Catcher is one of two friends with a passion for coffee and problem solving, who eventually put their interests together and discovered a business.



It began in 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand where John and his wife were living in a great apartment with bad water pressure. Disposing of the grounds from his French Press in the kitchen sink wasn’t possible, so John resorted to dumping his grounds, teaspoon by teaspoon, into the trash. Back in Seattle, Washington, his friend Nate’s solution was quicker and nastier — head for the bathroom and send 'em down the toilet. All of them loved the full bodied punch of French Press coffee, but the morning ritual was losing its charm.

John started dreaming of a better way to clean out his grounds, and sent some initial scribbles to Nate. Nate loved the idea but promptly pooh-poohed John's design. Eight weeks later, after days of sketching and Skype conversations and weeks of managing prototype development in a basement, the Coffee Catcher was born. 



Today, the Coffee Catcher has been finalized and is headed for production: units are currently available for pre-sale with an estimated shipping date in April of 2010. Your French Press is tired of being scraped and pounded. Sign up and join the revolution!

The Inventors.

John and Nate are self proclaimed “coffee geeks” who are experts at business and supply chain management—they’ve made the process easy, and they’ll give you the support that you need.

John Custer, Co-Inventor


John Custer’s relationship with French Press coffee began at Grove City College, where he wasn’t allowed to have a coffee maker in his dorm…but the rules said nothing about a French Press and a tea kettle. Since then, his life has been punctuated by the coffee experiences that he’s had along the way.

Working for the non-profit SIL International in Jakarta, Indonesia, John spent 5 years facilitating multilingual education and community development with the Indonesian government and local organizations; he also developed a particular fondness for Kalosi Toraja beans from the South Sulawesi highlands and a slight addiction to Sumatra Mandheling.

In Bangkok, Thailand managing SIL’s LEAD initiative, John honed his ability to generate disproportionate success from minimal cash flow — and learned (the hard way!) to bring his personal French Press wherever he goes.






Nate Jones, Co-Inventor

Nate Jones has been drawn to international coffee culture his entire life. He grew up overseas, and returned as an adult to live for several years in Indonesia and Thailand, some of the premier coffee producing regions in the world.

With his International Relations degree from Wheaton College in hand, Nate went to work for non-profit start-ups like SIL International, where he helped launch the LEAD initiative, perfecting the art of creative problem-solving and business-on-a-shoestring along the way.

Nate currently lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife…who first liked him for his French Press coffee.