Rumours have been circulating for a while now. Keurig is planning an aggressive move into the home soda making market. While it’s not on the market yet, it’s launch has been highly anticipated. Here’s everything we know about Keurig’s cold beverage maker—Keurig Kold—so far.
Update: It’s here! The Keurig Kold is now available through Amazon.
1. It’s going to use pods instead of syrup.
The Keurig Kold design is going to be significantly different from other home soda makers such as the SodaStream. The biggest difference will be how the flavor gets mixed in. The SodaStream requires customers to add flavor as a syrup to an already carbonated bottle of water. Much like their coffee brewer, the Kold will use pods instead. This will lead to a seamless process where Kold users only need to select a flavor, add the pod to the machine, and carbonate—no mixing required. Read more.
2. It’s going to be expensive.
Keurig has announced that the Kold is going to retail between $299-$369. This is significantly more expensive other options, including SodaStream. They’ve also stated that the pods used to flavour soda will retail between $.99-$1.29. If each pod only makes one serving of Soda, it’s hard to imagine anyone willing to pay that price just for the convenience of making soda at home. Especially with other, more competitively priced products on the market. Read more.
3. You won’t need a CO2 canister.
One of the benefits of the pod system is that the machine won’t require a CO2 canister. This is music to the ears of SodaStream users who know the pain of running out of CO2 and trying to find somewhere to get a refill. Rather than using CO2 canisters, each pod will contain carbonation beads. This means that if you have a flavour pod and a machine, you’ll have everything you need to make soda at home. Read more.
4. The Kold will actually be cold.
While the SodaStream doesn’t actually chill beverages, the Kold will. SodaStream owners either have to chill their water or before carbonating it, add ice to the finished product, or be stuck waiting while it cools in the fridge. Conversely, Kold owners will be able to carbonate with water from the tap because the machine will be able to hold 6-8 servings of chilled water at a time. The finished product will come out at 39°F in 60 seconds. Read more.
5. Dr. Pepper will be available as a flavour.
Dr. Pepper Snapple has announced that they signed an exclusive multiyear deal with Keurig. They haven’t disclosed which ones, but they claim 30 flavours will be available as pods for the Keurig Kold. Although it’s good news for fans of Keurig, this is bad news for SodaStream fans, who know now for sure that Dr. Pepper-branded flavours will not be available anytime in the near future. Read more.
6. Investor’s are are not happy.
After recent announcements providing more details about the up-and-coming home soda maker, Keurig’s stock declined. Investors are concerned that demand for soda is drying up and the high price of the Keurig Kold has them worried consumers will opt for other options instead. After the price announcement, the stock dropped in value by almost 10% and has continued to decline since them. Time will tell how investor apprehension affects the future strategy of the Kold. Read more.
7. Coca Cola will will be exclusive to the Kold
The fact that a Coke-branded syrup is not available for the SodaStream has been a big criticism for along time. Many consumers feel that the SodaStream brand syrup is just not as good. However, Coke recently signed a a deal with Keurig to make their flavours available at home, exclusively for the Kold. They even invested a 10% stake in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Keurig’s parent company, so we know they’re serious! Read more.
8. Investors may be worried, but Coke is not.
Not surprisingly, given their investment in the company, Coca Cola is hot on the Keurig Kold. Coke’s CEO Muhtar Kent has nothing but good things to say about the Kold, and after their initial investment in a 10% stake in the company, they boosted that investment to 16%. In fact, some experts say they even be trying to acquire Keurig. Now that would things very interesting! Read more.
9. We still have a while to wait.
While initial announcements suggested the Kold would come out in the fall of 2015, we’ve now learned that, that will be a very limited release. Full retail distribution won’t roll out until a year later for the 2016 holiday season. We’re not sure where the Kold will be available in the fall 2015 yet, but here’s hoping we can get out hands on one! Read more.
10. It’s going to be to big.
Regardless of what investor’s think, the Kold is going to come out with a bang—and it’ll be around for a while. The company has already closed on the purchase of a 585,000 square foot building in Georgia, and they’re committing to investing $337 million into the facility over the next five years. Clearly, they mean business. You can bet they’re going to be throwing everything they have at the success of this new venture. We wish them all the best! Read more.
Now that you know everything there is to know about the Keurig Kold, what do you think? Are you going to pick one up when it comes out? Let us know in the comments.
If anyone sees this, has bought a Kold, and would like a free box, let me know. They sent me a coupon for one, but I have zero intentions of buying this machine.