Caveman Coffee is a unique brand of coffee that has become quite popular in recent years. But who originally came up with the idea for Caveman Coffee and helped turn it into a successful business? Let’s take a closer look at the origins and history behind this unique coffee company.
The Founders of Caveman Coffee
Caveman Coffee was founded in 2013 by two entrepreneurs, Todd Polinsky and Steven Schack. Todd and Steven had become friends while attending business school together at the University of Southern California. They shared a passion for health, fitness, and nutrition.
After business school, Todd began working in private equity while Steven started his own hedge fund. However, they continued to share ideas about starting a business together focused on healthy living. This ultimately led to the concept behind Caveman Coffee.
The Inspiration for Caveman Coffee
Todd and Steven were both following the popular Paleo diet at the time, which emphasizes eating whole, unprocessed foods like meat, vegetables, eggs and nuts. They decided to apply this same philosophy to a morning staple – coffee.
Most coffee at the time was overly processed and loaded with artificial ingredients. Todd and Steven saw an opportunity to make coffee that was free of additives like dairy, sugars and preservatives. And so Caveman Coffee was born – a back-to-basics approach to coffee making.
Launching the Caveman Coffee Brand
Todd and Steven started developing Caveman Coffee in early 2013. They worked with a small coffee farm in Oaxaca, Mexico to source high quality Arabica beans. The beans were lightly roasted to preserve natural flavors.
The pair officially launched Caveman Coffee in September 2013, selling bags of whole bean coffee online. They focused entirely on building an online presence and community around the Caveman Coffee brand. Todd handled the creative and branding efforts while Steven managed the business operations and finances.
Caveman Coffee’s Growth & Expansion
Caveman Coffee gained traction quickly thanks to savvy digital marketing and word-of-mouth exposure amongst Paleo and CrossFit communities. Within the first year, Caveman Coffee had over $500k in sales.
In 2015, Caveman Coffee expanded beyond online sales and began distributing their coffee to specialty retail stores. They also introduced coffee pods and instant coffee to appeal to a wider audience.
New Product Lines
Over the next few years, Caveman Coffee continued to expand their product offerings beyond whole bean coffee:
- 2016 – Launched flavored coffee line with options like Hazelnut, Vanilla and Mocha
- 2017 – Introduced coffee creamer made with coconut milk and monkfruit
- 2018 – Released ready-to-drink canned iced coffee drinks
- 2019 – Unveiled lineup of herbal teas
Business Growth
Alongside these product expansions, Caveman Coffee’s business and distribution continued to grow rapidly:
- 2017 – Annual revenue exceeded $5 million
- 2018 – Coffee distributed in over 2,000 retail locations
- 2019 – International shipping to over 15 countries
- 2020 – Raised $8 million in Series A funding
By 2020, just seven years after the company’s founding, Caveman Coffee had grown into a thriving multimillion dollar business.
Recent Developments
In the past few years, Caveman Coffee has focused on enhancing their sustainability practices and giving back more to the coffee farming communities they work with.
Sustainability Efforts
Some of Caveman Coffee’s sustainability highlights include:
- B Corp certified since 2019
- 100% carbon neutral operations
- Fair trade certification for all coffee sources
- Launched compostable coffee pods in 2021
Community Initiatives
Caveman Coffee has increased their community investments such as:
- Building schools in coffee farming villages in Mexico
- Sourcing from women-owned coffee cooperatives
- Worker education programs on topics like financial literacy
- Funding local public health projects
They also founded Caveman Coffee Foundation in 2022 which provides grants and scholarships to coffee-growing communities.
The Future of Caveman Coffee
Today, Caveman Coffee continues to thrive under the leadership of co-founders Todd Polinsky and Steven Schack. The brand has become one of the most well-known names in Paleo and specialty coffee.
In the future, Caveman Coffee plans to expand their food offerings with products like bone broths, nuts and granola. But coffee will remain at the heart of what they do.
With their dedication to quality, sustainability and community investment, Caveman Coffee is poised for many more years of successful growth while staying true to their original back-to-basics coffee philosophy.
Conclusion
Caveman Coffee has come a long way since Todd Polinsky and Steven Schack first launched it in 2013. Their passion for health and nutrition fueled the creation of a uniquely natural coffee brand that rejects artificial additives and embraces high quality beans.
Thanks to smart digital marketing and product expansion, Caveman Coffee has achieved rapid business growth while also implementing sustainability best practices and giving back to coffee-farming communities. While new food products are on the horizon, Caveman Coffee remains committed to their specialty coffee roots as they continue to brew up success.