Kinetic Koffee goes to Interbike
September 24th, 2005
The Kinetic Koffee crew left Arcata on September 24, 2005, bound for the glittery lights of Las Vegas for their first ever trade show as a new company, and they chose a big one – Interbike, the largest bicycle trade show in the world.
Loaded into two trucks and a trailer were everything needed for two shows, since the company was a sponsor of the OutDoor Demo as well as an exhibitor at the indoor show at the Sands Convention Center.
After a long 900 mile drive down the length of California’s Central Valley and across the high desert, the intrepid band of caffeine addicts pulled into Las Vegas and immediately drove down to Boulder City to set up the booth for the OutDoor Demo. Charlie, Mark & Keith, along with good friend Joel Bradfield, got the tent, tables and the Moka Pot from the Kinetic Race machine set up in record time, so it was off to our condo to prepare for the next day. There was much to do. The grinder and brewer had to be set up, coffee ground for brewing, air-pots to ready, and all the signage and products needed at the Demo had to be readied. Then it was off to bed, since the next day would be a long one…
Coffee Brewer
OutDoor Demo – Day 1 and 2 The days started early – 4 am for Keith, the Master Brewer, since he had to have coffee brewed and ready to go by the time we got to the demo at 6:30. The crew, with the addition of Kevin Ebbert and Amy Duncan, family members recruited for the event, went to work, selling coffee to dealers and exhibitors alike, donating $1 from each sale to Hurricane Relief. The group raised over $200 selling brewed coffee in the morning and Thai iced coffee in the afternoons.
Mmmmmm Coffee
At 1pm on Day 2, Mark, Kevin and Charlie left the sleepy town of Boulder City to set up the booth at the really big show – Interbike – leaving Keith and Joel to finish up the OutDoor Demo. The OutDoor Demo closed at 5 pm, but the work wasn’t done yet, as there was still the tear-down and packing up of the booth… Interbike – Day 3-5 Interbike is huge. With over 1,000 exhibitors covering over 15 acres showing their wares to over 19,000 dealers and media, this was the place to see and be seen in the cycling industry. And Kinetic Koffee created quite a buzz! Between the samples of all four coffees and the movable GearHead sculpture made for us by local artist, Ken Beidleman, our little 10 x 10 foot booth became a must-see amongst the dealers, media and other exhibitors. We were amazed at how many industry bigwigs and others went out of their way to wish us well and spread the Kinetic Koffee word.
Great Coffee!
Kinetic Koffee also hosted a gathering of the Classic Rendezvous group on Thursday morning, attracting over 40 hard-core vintage cyclists to share coffee, bagels and conversation.
Look at all the coffee cups!
Finally, after five grueling 15+ hour days, the show was over. It was time to pack up the trucks and head home. The show was a big success for us – we set up new dealers, wrote business, and introduced ourselves to a group of people who love coffee. Since the show, we’ve been extremely busy following up with new accounts, hiring sales reps and developing new products to further cater to this market.
Coffee Drinking Machine!