A Better Brew
Coffee Maker /// Caraway
Reinventing the everyday
Caraway has built its brand around a simple mission: creating beautifully designed, non-toxic products for everyday living.
When they set out to develop their first electric appliance, the ambition was no different. Together, we took on the challenge of reimagining the everyday drip coffee maker, combining Caraway’s commitment to better materials with a completely new approach to product architecture and engineering.
Designed from the Inside Out
Removing plastic from the water and coffee path wasn’t simply a matter of swapping materials.
Traditional plastic components were replaced with glass and stainless steel, demanding an entirely new internal architecture. From the water tank and heating system to the pipework, connections and assembly methods, we had to rethink how a drip coffee maker is designed and built.
The result was a new archetype, engineered from the inside out.
Less Fuss, More Ritual
Good design should make everyday life easier, not more complicated.
The user experience was stripped back to a single intuitive dial, removing unnecessary buttons, menus and settings. Thoughtful details make brewing, cleaning and maintenance effortless, while precision temperature control and automated brewing take care of what matters behind the scenes.
A simpler, more considered coffee experience, without compromising Caraway’s commitment to better materials.
The Art of Engineering
There’s something beautiful about a part that’s been engineered to do exactly what it needs to do.
From custom stainless steel connectors to the raw extruded aluminium body, every component tells a story of material, function and manufacturing. These are details most people will never see, but each played an important role in bringing an entirely new coffee maker architecture to life.
Ambition Achieved
A little over 12 months separated our first working prototypes from mass production.
Rapid proof-of-concept models, built and tested in-house, allowed us to validate ideas, uncover problems and refine the design in real time. That hands-on approach carried through to production, where new materials, processes and assembly methods demanded close collaboration with our manufacturing partners.
From the first rough prototype to the finished product, every iteration brought us closer to making the ambitious achievable.
“Alquemy was instrumental in the success of the coffee maker program for Caraway, becoming a true extension of our internal design and product development team to build working prototypes, resolve technical challenges, interface with suppliers, and so much more. Their dedication, diligence, and aptitude for pursuing fundamentally new concepts throughout the course of development speak volumes to the quality of their work and we are happy to consider this a long-term, collaborative partnership."
SEAN PALMIERI /// DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
