How Cambio Reinvented Coffee Pods to Secure National Distribution in Under a Year

A box of Cambio coffee pods next to two of the aluminum pods. Both the box and the pods are yellow-gold on top, designating that the pods are filled with Donut Blend Light Roast coffee. — **Cambio was started to bring sustainability to the coffee market. The brand packages its coffee in recyclable aluminum pods that work with Keurig coffee brewers.** — Cambio Roasters

Why it matters:

Startup Cambio Roasters, founded by executives from single-serve coffee pioneer Keurig, has introduced coffee pods in recyclable aluminum pods that tout peak taste and bring a sustainable alternative to market.
Now in 5,000 stores, the company expects to triple its retail presence in the coming year as well as expand to new online platforms.
Cambio’s commitment to sustainability is poised to resonate with a burgeoning consumer group.

At single-serve coffee disruptor Keurig, Kevin Hartley was part of a category transformation. Now he’s looking to spearhead the next one.

Hartley served as Chief Innovation Officer of the business for almost a decade, helping build the company into a $13.8 billion behemoth. Now, Hartley is turning his attention to the next challenge: Reimagining the iconic K-Cup coffee pods for the next 25 years.

In 2018, he co-founded South Carolina–based Cambio Roasters—whose name fittingly means “change”—with Ann Hutson, his life partner and a marketing executive, to focus on creating a sustainable alternative to the single-serve coffee experience. Together, they assembled a “dream team,” said Hartley, including many former Keurig alums.

While plastic is a price-friendly material to make pods, “the oxygen transfer rate means that the coffee [can] lose its [flavor] magic in just a few months, but K-Cups are in the supply chain for up to a year,” explained Hartley.

The solution turned out to be aluminum—the magic metal, Hartley described. The oxygen transfer rate is zero, so the coffee retains the peak flavor the roaster intended. Moreover, 97% or more of aluminum is recycled into another product, Hartley claimed.

After years of research and development, in January 2025, Hartley and Hutson—along with Rick Estabrook, Senior VP of Research and Development and Packaging; Mike Cunningham, Chief Operating Officer; and Lindsey Bolger, who led Keurig’s global coffee sourcing and now curates and oversees Cambio’s 100% organic, small-farm supply chain—brought to market Cambio coffees in recyclable aluminum pods that work with existing Keurig brewers.

We are currently in 5,000 grocery stores and will be tripling that in 2026. Kevin Hartley, Co-founder of Cambio Roasters

Positioning Cambio to fill a void in the coffee category

The endeavor speaks to something more than a great cup of coffee. About 40 million U.S. households own a Keurig, and 21% of existing Keurig households report that they want purpose-driven brands to get behind, Hartley explained.

The trend is fueled by a desire to support brands whose values align with a consumer’s own personal values. According to a McKinsey study, younger consumers, in particular, now consider a brand’s sustainability, for example, when making purchasing decisions.

“A major retailer expressed that the Keurig aisle is the only place they didn’t have a purpose-driven brand,” Hartley noted. “We positioned Cambio to answer that need.”

In addition to the product’s sustainability, Cambio supports 10,000 coffee farmers near the equator who struggle with food security by allocating 20% of profits to the Food 4 Farmers program. Cambio works with hundreds of farmers throughout Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The business model leans into the 21% of Keurig households that are voting with their dollars for purpose-driven brands, a cohort that cuts across ages ranging from twentysomethings to eightysomethings, said Hartley.

Kevin Hartley, Co-founder of Cambio Roasters, pictured from the waist up against a black background. Kevin is a white man with blond hair and brown eyes. He is smiling and posed with his arms folded, and he is wearing a chambray button-up shirt. — **Kevin Hartley, Co-founder of Cambio Roasters, got his start as Chief Innovation Officer at Keurig before reimagining the K-Cup for a purpose-driven audience.** — Kevin Hartley

Cambio’s ‘ubiquitous’ growth ambitions: 200 million pods and $150 million in sales by 2030

Cambio’s goals are aggressive: to be responsible for 1% of the $20 billion annual single-serve coffee market. That translates to 200 million pods and a $150 million brand within the next five years. To move quickly, Cambio needs to be ubiquitous, Hartley noted. “We are currently in 5,000 grocery stores and will be tripling that in 2026.”

Last August, Cambio secured national distribution in Target, which, combined with Kroger and all its banners, comprises 3,500 stores alone. “Five other large national chains are interested, and we should be rolling out in early 2026,” said Hartley. “We should be in every large major retailer by next year.”

Retail accounts for the vast majority of sales at 80%. (While foodservice is not a major channel, Cambio has been placed in several small boutique hotels across the United States.) Packaging is designed to jump off the shelf and spotlight the unique aluminum pod with a cut-out to keep it visible. The line consists of nine coffee varieties. Its best sellers are Special Dark Roast, Columbian Medium Roast, and Donut Blend Light Roast.

About 20% of sales are from online channels, including Amazon and Cambio’s own website. And e-commerce is poised for expansion. Cambio currently sells on Instagram Shop and will soon be available on TikTok Shop, a platform that is exploding, said Hartley.

In addition to wide distribution, to stay accessible to consumers, Cambio’s cost needed to be comparable to other brands. Rather than price it as a niche product, the aluminum pods cost the same as mainstream brands like K-Cup or Dunkin.

Two aluminum Cambio coffee pods, seen from above. One is lying on its side and the other has its top facing the viewer. The label on top of the second pod is red and reads "medium roast columbian cambio" above a small recycling symbol. — **In addition to be more recycling-friendly than plastic, Cambio's aluminum K-Cups have an oxygen transfer rate of zero, so the coffee inside better retains its flavor.** — Cambio Roasters

Up until now, the brand has experienced what can be called a big soft launch. A full-scale advertising and PR blitz is slated for November 2025, highlighting Cambio as a good-tasting, sustainable brand. Social media will also play a big role with targeted messaging and full campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Amazon, and Cambio will be working with influencers across those platforms.

Advice for startups: Root innovation in reality

Hartley’s advice to startups is to be realistic about the scalability of your product or service. Your job running a startup boils down to two “creations,” he said. “One: you create a product that, in the real world, against real alternatives, and with real distribution, is something consumers will choose. Two: You create an organization that can deliver on the opportunity,” he said. “Many major U.S. buyers say the same thing: ‘I find interesting products that can’t ship, and boring ones that can.’”

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