Greetings from Chicago!
On behalf of the Zerno team, I’d like to wish you all a happy start to your autumn season. I have lots of exciting updates to share but I thought I ought to begin with a brief introduction. The Zerno team is growing and we have a new addition. With production beginning to ramp up, the founders thought it would be a good idea to bring on someone who could be your point of contact for all the excellent questions we’ve been receiving, share the most up-to-date information across our social channels, and most importantly allow them to focus on all of the final tasks that ensure that preorders make it out to our loyal backers on time.
My name is Noah Roberts and I am stepping into the role of Director of Support at Zerno ????. I’m a food scientist by education, a distiller/spirits educator by experience, and a DevOps support engineer by profession. I’m a home roaster who tends to reach for a v60 (or more recently, a Hario Switch) to bring out the most origin characteristic possible from the lightly roasted, naturally processed coffees I tend to favor. My quest for the best tools to accomplish that goal led me (and I suspect many of you) to Zerno and I look forward to having the chance to speak with you all in the months to come.
Now to get to what you’re all here for…
Z1 Launch Edition pre-sale will be closing on September 30th
We are now into the final month that we will be accepting pre-orders for the Zerno Z1 Launch Edition. As of this writing, nearly half of the available launch edition grinders have been sold. This will be the only run of the Z1 Launch Edition and once the final unit has been claimed or we reach September 30th, the pre-sale will be concluded.
Production update
While the team has searched globally for the manufacturers that will make our components in the tolerances we require and the quality we insist upon, all Z1 Launch Edition units will be hand-assembled, tested, and calibrated to our exacting specifications here at Zerno HQ in Chicago.
The polished stainless steel stand design & material has been finalized with our local manufacturer and production has been begun for all Launch Edition units. Like most designs that appear simple and clean, a seemingly innumerable amount of prototypes was fabricated, rejected, then reworked until the combination of variables was discovered that met all criteria for a grinder stand we felt comfortable stamping with the Zerno name.
The unique materials have been sourced & the multi-step hand-finishing process has been perfected for the hardwood cap that crowns the grind adjustment knob. We find that the Z1 is such a precision instrument that this organic finishing touch makes it feel much more at home on our countertops and coffee bars and are very excited for you to experience it.
The accessories that will accompany your Z1 grinder (dosing cup, spray bottle, etc.) have been chosen and the orders for them have been placed. We want you to have everything you need (minus a couple bags of fresh beans from your local roaster) to use your Z1 to its maximum potential from the day you receive it.
We’re just getting started!
Now that production is underway and I am here to help document the process, we look forward to updating you more frequently and in greater detail.
We’ve recently launched our Zerno YouTube channel with Burr Swap and Cleaning videos. This will be the place for more in-depth video content showing workflows, tutorials, and whatever else you’re curious about (let us know!).
We are selecting a few of our favorite content creators in the coffee space and will be providing review units for them to play around with and gather some initial impressions. We’ll be very excited to share their thoughts once they’ve had the opportunity to put the Z1 through its paces.
We know this couldn’t possibly address everything you want to know, so I encourage you to get in touch. We’re ramping up support across our social media, but for now, the best place to contact us is info@zerno.co. I’ll be manning the inbox and directing your inquiries. I look forward to hearing from you.
Finally, a massive thanks to the backers that have chosen to support Zerno at this early stage. One of the best parts about this coffee community is the support for passionate individuals & teams. We don’t take your investment or your trust lightly and we’re very excited to share what we’ve been working on for a very long time.
Happy Brewing!
Noah & team Zerno
