Assignment 7

Monopolistic coffee companies are unable to conveniently and sustainably provide products to consumers with alternatives because it requires a lot of changes 

Interview 1: I interviewed my friend Shelby. Shelby is an avid coffee drinker.  When she gets coffee, she told me she might bring a cup if she remembers and if it’s planned ahead, however even when she does bring a cup she puts coffee in one and then gets a water cup. She always wants both. She very much is trying to do her best to avoid plastic waste, however it’s too much and too inconvenient to carry around two cups, one for water and one for coffee. When told about the solution, Shelby explained to me that she would be very satisfied and be more contempt with her decisions. 

Interview 2: The second person I interviewed was my other coffee-obsessed friend Karissa. Karissa always does carry her own water bottle around campus and she told me that she has a huge awareness of her environmental impact and tries to find alternatives constantly. She later explained to me that she sometimes tries to bring an additional cup for coffee however it’s hard to know when she’s going to need it so it’s rare. When she gets coffee, unless she has a cup that works for coffee, she keeps her water bottle filled with water, and buys a coffee with a plastic cup. When told about the idea, her response was “I would love if that was a thing, I don’t get why it is not, like at restaurants we don’t use plastic cups for everyone why do we at Starbucks?”

Interview 3: The third person I interviewed was a friend Emily, who drinks coffee mainly when doing homework. Emily does carry her own water bottle around campus every day. Emily explained that she always tries to make the smarter decision environmentally when faced with the opportunity. Emily explained that when going to get coffee, she brings her own cup and puts coffee in it, however it's an inconvenience that she can’t have her water as well, but it’s not a big deal for her. Emily said that she would be extremely satisfied with the solution and it would take the pressure off of the decision between coffee or water. 

Interview 4: The fourth person I interviewed was a friend Jacob. Jacob had a different pattern of consumerism compared to the previous interviewees. Jacob let me know that he has never and will not go out of his way to be environmentally friendly in any way. However he mentioned if it was convenient and offered to him he would take the offer.  He does not carry a water bottle and when he gets coffee he just takes the cup they give it to him. Jacob does not care about having the ability to drink water and coffee at the same sitting however if he does, he just uses another cup. He lastly explained to me that he has never even considered bringing his own cup. 

Interview 5: The last person I interviewed was a good friend Kai. She explained to me that she usually makes coffee at home but when she does get coffee, it’s usually 3 times a month. She goes to Dunkin because it's convenient and on her way to work. She also explained to me that she goes out of her way to be more environmentally friendly like bringing her own bags to publix. When she does get coffee, she doesn’t bring her own cup because she is usually on her way to work and it’s more convenient to just throw it out after rather than having it be in my way at work. She does think about bringing her own cup but it’s too inconvenient. 

With these interviews I learned that the customers that are eco friendly would be delighted to see this come about however I am still unsure if there is a dire need for this to happen. Not all of the people I interviewed are avid coffee drinkers, however I’m not sure how a rare coffee consumer would feel about this. It seems as though this need is only prominent on campus. I think my original opportunity is definitely still there I just haven't figured out a sustainable solution yet. I think that after the interviews I can see when the real need is and it’s not for general coffee drinkers. I think that when given the opportunity, consumers especially college students will choose the environmentally friendly version. I think that entrepreneurs should definitely adapt their opportunities completely based on customer feedback and that is one of the most important things to do to be successful.