HotShot coffee appears to be a fairly basic name for this as-seen-on run on Shark Tank product, the actual moniker of this item was rather descriptive. HotShot coffee was canned coffee, a shot or so, times as many as that because the coffee came in 8-ounce cans, not just tepid liquid. Not hot enough to result in lawsuits and even injury, like the infamous McDonald’s case, where coffee was said to be over 180 degrees. Rather, it was an aggressive temperature, somewhere close(ish) to 140 degrees.
How did the coffee stay hot? That is where things got tricky because it needed some help to do so. Either way, in that specific case, it emerged from somewhere among the cans of HotShot coffee that people would have to pay for so that their stores of those things would not turn into ColdShots or even worse, lukewarm ones.
In 2008, the founder of HotShot coffee, Danny Grossfeld, stumbled upon such an appliance during a trip to Japan and was convinced that hot canned coffee would also be a hit at home. However, in true entrepreneurial spirit, he went one step further than the Japanese canned coffee industry by making his coffee even hotter, as the product sold in Japan is typically about 110 degrees.
How did HotShot coffee fare on Shark Tank?
It was not like Danny Grossfeld had spent 6 years and $2 million perfecting a product without selling, the only one that would have seen him laugh off the “Shark Tank” set when he arrived to make his pitch. In fact, he was not even applying for the show but had been invited by one of the producers after reading an article about his innovative business idea.
Now Grossfeld had nothing to lose. Therefore, he proposed selling 10% of equity in his firm for $300,000. All the Sharks drank the coffee and enjoyed it, though none of them drank the proverbial Kool-Aid because they did not participate in the investment.
However, Mark Cuban was slightly more optimistic. Grossfeld described Cuban as “super sweet to me and very receptive” when he made a tentative offer to buy the product on a trial basis in his Landmark Cinemas once it got off the ground.
HotShot Coffee After Shark Tank
Even though the Sharks did not pick up Grossfeld’s pitch, his product did see some sort of a post-show sales bump, while this was not anything really phenomenal, within a week, 200 pre-orders were placed for this as-yet-to-be released product. Grossfeld also got invitations from the AMC, Cinemark and Regal movie chains, whose intentions were to test his coffee in early 2016. However, at that point, he had nothing scheduled regarding Cuban’s Landmark chain.
What happened to HotShot Coffee?
However, the product did not receive a 100% positive response from consumers. In its brief time of HotShot coffee being available online, it accrued only 10 Amazon ratings and an average rating of 3.2 stars. One individual praised the simplicity of use and taste of coffee; however, other customers declared that neither the Hot Box nor the coffee itself satisfied their expectations. Some even complained that their coffee may have been ruined by the time they got it.
HotShot coffee rolled out its last can sometime in the past. The company website no longer works, and there is no social media activity. Yes, you can Google “Hotshot coffee” and find some results. However, neither an Oregon-headquartered roastery nor places that sell fresh cups of coffee in Alaska and California seem to be affiliated with the packaged good that appeared during Shark Tank.
Given the almost nonexistent website for HotShot coffee, one could very well judge that the company has been closed down; however, in the summer of 2021, there was still potential spotting of HotShot coffee boxes from some concessions.
FAQs
Where is HotShot coffee now?
As limited distribution in the years passed, HotShot coffee hot canned coffee and hot chocolate are now available nationwide at Amazon.com.
Is canned HotShot coffee hot?
Coffee in cans is sold at supermarkets and convenience stores, with many of such cans, also found in vending machines where heated drinks during autumn and winter are served while cold canned coffee during the warm months.
Is it alright to consume very hot coffee?
Drinking your drinks at the usual temperature is not so bad, but if they are piping hot, it can increase your chances of numerous diseases. Actually, research has shown that very hot drinks can lead to cancer.
