Be a shark in an espresso cup (Adrian Wright, Shades of Coffee)
Ade 'Mr Shades' Wright has niched deeper than anyone I've ever met before
It worked so well that he practically started his e-commerce business by accident.
In fact, he's now left his six-figure sales job to serve a niche SO small, you'd think it was impossible.
You don't have to be a coffee nerd to sip this one down.
The following post is not sponsored; I just love Adrian's story, and I've had hours of fun installing his mods onto my coffee machine.
What problem are you solving?
Our aim is to help Gaggia Classic-owning home baristas make better coffee, and generally enjoy owning a Gaggia Classic more.
One of my mantras is “Life is too short to drink shit coffee.”
This TINY community is enraptured with modifying one specific, 33-year-old 'cult favourite' coffee machine: the Gaggia Classic.
Not just 'coffee lovers'.
Not just 'espresso nerds'.
Not even 'home espresso nerds'.
Ade has an entire business serving only 'Gaggia Classic-owning home baristas obsessed with modifying their machines'.
So, what is Shades of Coffee?
We invent, develop, source and manufacture modifications and accessories for one particular espresso machine that is very popular with people first getting into home espresso.
We help people to solve problems inherent within the machine or to improve the look, feel, or functionality of it.
How did you come across this problem, and why did you decide to solve it?
Owning a Gaggia Classic for more than 20 years—and being passionate about coffee—I was eager to improve the machine to help me make better coffee.
Being surprised at the improvements that could be made and also, at the time, the difficulty, complexity and cost of doing so, I wanted to make it easier for other home baristas like me to enjoy the same improvements.
But there's friction in the way: without Shades of Coffee's equipment bundles, paired with their handy installation guides, modding is complex and expensive, putting 'better coffee' just out of reach for many Gaggia owners.
So I started a 'side hustle' making temperature control kits to help pay for my coffee beans, but ultimately to help others make better coffee too.
COVID-19 saw the global number of home baristas increase massively, along with the demand for these modifications to improve the Classic.
In mid-2020, Shades of Coffee Ltd was formed and, as I discovered new solutions to other problems with the machine, the number of bespoke products, accessories and modifications we offer has increased.
Since early 2021, the 'side hustle' has been a full-time job—if you can describe spending days on end enjoying your favourite hobby as a job!
I definitely 'eat my own dog food'; I use everything that we sell as our products continue to help me make better coffee.
On our call, I asked Ade how he researches what to sell next.
The answer would make any e-commerce guru shiver: he doesn't.
Whether it's a 'low-profile drip tray' or a 'modified steam tip', he simply sources the things that improved his own machine at home... and his audience loves it.
How did you know it was worth solving?
If I could help people make better coffee with a Gaggia Classic, then that’s worth doing in my view.
The business was a necessity for me due to the success of the products—and as long as we could generate a reasonable income from it to feed, clothe and house the family, then having a 'lifestyle business' seemed like a good way to do this (and also get out of the rat-race).
Ultimately, Shades of Coffee has been quite successful, and the small team that we now have all enjoy working here.
We all continue to marvel at how a small side hustle has developed into a small business that supplies thousands of customers in over 100 countries with a diverse range of products and in a very tight niche!
It’s proof that, thanks to the internet, when your addressable market is the entire globe, even a business with a very tight focus on home baristas can be a success.
What has been the highlight of building Shades of Coffee?
I often answer our webchat and phone calls, and when I tell them who’s speaking, customers quite often say,
“Are you Mr Shades? You’re famous! I’ve been doing research on the Classic, and your name and company appear everywhere… I can’t believe I’m talking with you!"
Whilst I’m far from famous (other than in our very small niche, perhaps), it’s good to hear.
Doing what we do, and having money in the business bank account is nice, but it’s the joy and happiness that we can bring to others (making better coffee, enjoying their machines more, saving a machine from landfill, etc.) that makes the difference, and its why I do what I do!
The takeaway
You can be a small fish in a big pond.
Or, you can be a big fish in a small pond.
Or, you can be like Ade: a shark in an espresso cup.
Wishing you better problems,
Alex
Start your next adventure with The Logbook by ProblemKit
A concise protocol for mining epic problems from your own life, housed in a practical A6 pocket workbook. The ultimate solution to analysis paralysis.
Inspired by ProblemKit? If you’re looking to help your team find better problems, get in touch for a consultation or speaking engagement.
Do you tip? Here's the 🫙 tip jar 🫙