Episode 46: Blue Bottle Coffee

Today our heroes cover a deal that might have more impact on life in Silicon Valley than AI, wearables and AR/VR combined… Nestle’s acquisition of Blue Bottle Coffee. Will hipster entrepreneurs and the VCs who love/need them continue to line up around the block for their minimalist coffee experience of choice, now that it’s owned by the Nesquik Bunny? Is this the beginning of Blue Bottle pod machines filling the empty counter space left by Juicero’s demise in VC offices throughout South Park? We investigate.

Sponsors:

WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25
Huntress: https://bit.ly/acqhuntress
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24

More Acquired!:

• Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
• Join the Slack
• Subscribe to ACQ2
• Merch Store!

© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC

Topics Covered Include:

• The rise of “Third Wave” coffee
• Blue Bottle founder James Freeman’s “classical” (music) influences 
• Venture capital and the coffee business 
• Achieving liquidity when companies and founders’ don’t want to go public, and don’t want to sell their stakes 
• Nestle’s position in single-serve coffee market and potential brand impact of Blue Bottle 

The Carve Out:

•  Ben: There Never Was a Real Tulip Fever
• David: iPhone SE