ZPM drops automated coffee & Kickstarter backers

ZPM’s PID-controlled espresso machine sounded too good to be true. Billed as “a home espresso machine that provides commercial quality temperature and pressure consistency at an affordable price”, the Kickstarter easily blasted through their $20,000 goal on the way to just under $370,000 in funding. That was three years ago, almost to the day. As backers waited, the company dragged their heels on delivery. Via an update to backers, we learn they’re ditching the product altogether, and won’t be issuing refunds.



The idea was pretty lofty to begin with. For as little as $20, the project promised to bring artisanal coffee to you, fully automated. Backers were promised “customizable temperature and pressure, pre-infusion” and “shot-time settings”. It was like having a human barista in your kitchen.

Except it wasn’t human, nor was it totally believable. Unbelievable earned it $370,000, though.

Via Reddit (none of the SlashGear team backed the project), we learn that the COO of ZPM has left, and is “taking most of our team with her.” According to the update, she left in early December. Since then, they’ve been exploring legal remedies to the situation and searching for new team members.

Ultimately, the team remaining says the COO leaving and inability to source additional funding left them without a direction forward.

After nearly three years and no viable product.

They won’t be refunding backers, though they say they plan to open-source their work to-date, and are “having conversations with several other parties to see if we can’t create a situation where your pledges are still honored and you guys get something for all your support of this project.”

Kickstarter’s new rules about refunds or products issued were implemented after ZPM completed their funding, so they’re probably not bound to the same rules existing projects are. Even if they were, ZPM clearly isn’t solvent enough to issue full refunds.

Here is the full update to backers, via Reddit: