r/qehve

Hello there.

Some context on the project:
Considering the non-availability of high-end, low-cost coffee gear in Pakistan, we have initiated a project to bulk buy / import things needed. However, since this is not a business for us, we cannot invest money (at least not too much for too long). Hence, we need to manage this through pre-order / group-buy model.

The problem(s):
Given the context on online scams, trust is a problem everyone understands. Its going to be difficult for people to send over money to our bank to be used for payments to vendors. While we can commit to transparency and disclosing whatever is happening in public channels, or rare one-to-one queries, we do not have the capacity to deal with customer service, etc. If we do build such systems, the cost of operations would escalate so much that end of the day, the products will cost as much as they do when bought from the market.

Feedback needed:

1. In your opinion, what's a workable way to collect money to pay vendors in this situation?
2. Do you know of any escrow systems that can facilitate this? (Kickstarter would be a good example, probably not operational in Pakistan)
3. Let's say we do figure out a 3rd party to process this, how long would be a reasonable amount of time for you to receive your goods (considering we release traceable data and public updates)?
4. What should happen if we don't reach out goal of minimum order quantity? Would you want to keep your money committed (hoping the next round is more successful) or necessarily want a refund immediately? Note that due to currency fluctuations, PKR based pricing will be variable in any case.

Be blunt with your opinions and comments. The more issues discussed now, the less things are overlooked later.

Hello there.

Welcome to r/qehve!

Qəhvə (pronounced as kahvah in Azerbaijani) is an upcoming brand of coffee gear and guidance for people who want to make better coffee at home without wasting money on expensive gear.

Qəhvə is being built around a simple idea: home coffee should feel:

• Accessible: in terms of local availability and affordability
• Practical: you shouldn't have to look up archives of scientific papers to understand what works and what doesn't),
• Enjoyable: it should "just work"

Our focus is especially on beginner home baristas. We are trying to give you (a fellow or future home barista) answers to common questions along with provision of the tools in the techniques we discuss.

Qəhvə’s aim is not to compete in the coffee gear space, rather, to become a trusted advisor for affordable home coffee brewing by carefully selecting gear, with honest trade-offs, beginner-friendly guidance, and post-purchase help so people actually succeed after they buy. We don't want you to just buy "our" gear, since we are simply curating and while-labelling things anyway.

We want you to have the best cup of coffee at home, and are just trying to make that journey that slightly bit easier and cheaper.

We want this sub-Reddit to be a space to gather your feedback, listen to your problems, provide you with advice and to seek your feedback on what products are you finding to get a hold of the most.

Qəhvə is being built as an Open Organization, which has the following core characteristics:

1. Transparency: all our data (including finances, logistics, etc.) will be made public
2. Inclusivity: it's for everyone, everywhere (no gatekeeping)
3. Adaptability: we change as per the needs of the community
4. Collaboration: we are in this together
5. Community: we work things out together

For Qəhvə, this means we want to operate around openness. We will try our best to be fully transparent about the products we discuss and sell. Discussions are a part of the product we sell. Questions, setup photos, mistakes, comparisons, and user feedback are all part of what we want to deliver to you, and we will source them from you! It's a 2-way street.

We will practice public disclosure as much as we can. This includes sharing meaningful updates on finances, unit economics, sourcing, logistics, delivery performance, returns, customer feedback, operating challenges, and the trade-offs behind key decisions.

However, we will not disclose any details about customers or staff.

We want to make the knowledge related to coffee more accessible, decisions more transparent, feedback more useful, and the community more central to how the brand grows.

With that said:

Welcome to Qəhvə!