All against K-Cups: the war waged by its Keurig coffee capsules

Keurig revolutionized the coffee industry in the early 90s with the introduction of the coffee capsules. Founded by two university students in 1990, Green Mountain Coffee Company acquired in 2006 for $ 160 million and today is the undisputed market leader. However, competition is determined to dethrone the company, which boasts one of their coffee in nearly one in five US households.Patent capsules Keurig expired in September 2012. Since then, competitors have sharpened their claws and have managed to iron out a substantial market share. Because these new players have managed to make coffee capsules compatible with Keurig coffeemakers. And, of course, the capsules 'pirate' are cheaper than the original.In this scenario, Keurig has increased efforts to maintain its leadership. To do so, has been associated with giant retailers like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, capsules for these companies are compatible with Keurig coffeemakers.Thus, Keurig wide presence of your brand, but give it up. According to various reports of Rabobank and JM Smuckers, this strategy has been a success for the US firm.Now, while sales of the K-Cups (capsules Keurig) called growing relentlessly, so they do his followers. To the extent that the capsules unlicensed represented the end of the first quarter of this year 14% of the US market, with substantial increases, according to data from IRI and Rabobank. Specifically, the five leading brands of coffee capsules together grew 471% in 2013, compared with 29% of the company owned by Green Mountain.With growing competition, Keurig has reduced their capsules. At the same time it has also focused its efforts on counter it. ">In this line, this fall will release its new Keurig coffee dubbed 2.0, whose main novelty is that you have the ability to identify and admit only the capsules with K-Cups license. This release, however, is not without controversy. Because, says Time, Treehouse Coffee Company, the largest manufacturer of capsules in the world, Keurig sued arguing that its new machine is anti-competitive. To this complaint have followed the Roger Family Company and 12 other class actions from individuals and even an insurance company, says Time.The end of these claims is still uncertain, but meanwhile Keurig competitors working to find solutions to the new proposal of the American company.">Already he warned in May Treehouse CEO Sam Reed: "It will be a matter of months, or even years, so that it can replicate (Keurig) technology."