Interview with Cason Crane

Let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there. How did your company get started and why?

Explorer started as a late-night quarantine idea this past May. The story is pretty crazy actually…because of the pandemic, I was staying up all night in my apartment, fueled by excessive caffeine…and it made me wonder why caffeine was so often ‘one size fits all’. I tried to find a coffee that would let me choose my caffeine level, but it didn’t exist. In particular, one that combined the smooth and low acid profile of cold brew with the versatility of a ‘super concentrate’. So I set about bringing that idea to reality, and six months later, we had sold out two production runs and people LOVE our product.

What is your product and how would you describe it?

Explorer makes cold brewed ‘super concentrate’ coffee in 4 caffeine levels (No Caf, Low Caf, Reg Caf, and Extra Caf). It’s an incredibly versatile and portable drink that allows people to enjoy smooth and low acid coffee in dozens of ways at any time of day (or night)!

How have you pivoted your business this year?

To be honest, the entire business was a major pivot. Prior to founding Explorer, my background was first as an adventurer and activist – I climbed Mt. Everest and the Seven Summits for LGBT suicide prevention – and then as a management consultant at Bain & Company. It was a major silver lining of the pandemic that I had more spare time on my hands to pursue what would have otherwise just stayed an idea in my head rather than a real product! And I sensed an opportunity and took the risk.

What is your next challenge to overcome?

The next challenge that we at Explorer face going into 2021 is scaling up and expanding our footprint beyond our website sales. I’m a big believer in having multiple ‘contact points’ with customers, and to that end we’re working on a number of initiatives, ranging from getting Explorer into retail, to introducing text campaigns, to pursuing creative partnerships to increase brand awareness in non-traditional ways (e.g. a perfume company partnership, etc). I’m incredibly excited about all these new initiatives, but also recognize the challenge of pursuing them and continuing to rapidly scale the business.

What do you predict for the food industry over the rest of the year?

I predict that the massive growth of e-commerce will continue in our space, but that the brands that will succeed most are those that are omni-channel with a presence in retail and a strong e-commerce presence, rather than those that are almost exclusively e-commerce or retail only.

Learn more at: www.explorercoldbrew.com