If there is something you can't get on the Internet these days, we sure haven't seen it yet and a recent trend in that ever-expanding marketplace is subscription boxes. From samplings of healthy snacks to cosmetics, you can get monthly packages filled with a selection of items in the vein of your choice. The folks at Phoenix's MistoBox really dig coffee and present an opportunity to fill your mailbox with packs of tasty beans.
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Connor Riley and Samantha Mies were two University of Arizona students who met while studying in Barcelona. They got involved with the school's entrepreneurship program and identified a business model they felt would be successful. Combining that with their mutual affinity for coffee, in 2012, MistoBox was born with a goal of making artisan coffee for everyone. The company started in Tucson and got rolling there for a few months before moving to a beautiful warehouse space in downtown Phoenix. It didn't hurt things that they were featured on the popular television program Shark Tank, where they received funding after presenting their pitch.
Each month, MistoBox features eight types of coffee, seven from their existing coffee roaster partners and one from a roaster they've researched or received samples from and hope to acquire for their program. Riley says they may cap partners, for the time being, when they reach 35. The roasts offer diversity, from lights to darks and an endless array of flavor combinations and profiles.
A $19 subscription gets you four 1.7-ounce bags of roasted whole bean coffee; $30 ups that to four 3.4-ounce bags. Connor says that they are looking at adding tea to the mix in the future. The MistoBox.com website also gives shoppers lots of options for accessories like grinders and kettles.
Four fun facts about MistoBox owners Samantha Mies and Connor Riley:
1. Together the pair participated in The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. 2. The company's biggest investor is philanthropist and business magnate Mark Cuban -- this came from the pair's Shark Tank appearance. 3. Connor once caught a bull shark while hanging out in Acapulco. 4. The adventurous Connor did one of the world's longest bungee jumps -- more than 500 feet -- from a gondola in the Swiss Alps.
