Pico: the Keurig for Beer

A Settle-based company, PicoBrew, looks to innovate what it means to have beer at home. As the company has stated, they aim to do for home-brewed beer what the Keurig did for coffee. While the home-brewer is not instant like the Keurig, it still has great potential to be a staple item for every man-cave. The machine, known as the Pico, works just the way a Keurig would, as consumers buy what the company calls PicoPaks. Pop the biodegradable packet into the machine, wait 2 hours, add a few more ingredients, wait five to seven days for the mixture to ferment and you have homemade beer. The process produces approximately five liters of beer which should make up for the long wait and the machine even connects to the internet so you can get an alert when your beer is ready. While the process is long, the cleanup is fairly easy which is what many consumers seek in home appliances. The Pico has since reached its Kickstarter goal of $200,000 and is available for pre-order for $500.

This product is unique in regard to giving the consumer the ability to make their own beer in their own home which may be more cost effective for the consumer in the long run – spend less money and get better beer. The selection of beer that can be made may also play a role in the potential popularity of this product potentially. However, consumers cannot make their own recipes for the time being. Once it goes on sale officially sometime next spring, the Pico will cost $1000 and be sold alongside the Picopaks at most major retailers, including AmazonPrime.The Pico is the epitome of a new product that focuses on technological and economical convenience. This machine really is like a Keurig, just with a longer brewing time. PicoBrew is using consumers’ desires for convenience and economic efficiency to its advantage by creating a self-brewer. 

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