Dear coffee friends,
After more than five years of development, countless prototypes, factory visits, sleepless nights, and some of the most challenging moments we’ve experienced at I’M NOT A BARISTA, we’ve made a difficult decision.
MOMENTEM Batch #3 will be the final production batch made by I’M NOT A BARISTA. We will not be producing another batch.
This wasn’t an easy decision. But after everything we’ve learned, we believe it’s the right one.
Five Years. Four Factories. Seven Prototypes.
When we started MOMENTEM, we had a simple but slightly crazy idea: what if a hand grinder could do more than just grind coffee finer or coarser? What if two independently adjustable burrs could work together, allowing coffee lovers to explore different grinding profiles and discover new possibilities in the same coffee?
We didn’t know how difficult that idea would be to turn into a real product. Over the past three years alone, we’ve worked with four different factories, gone through seven rounds of prototypes, made 18 trips to manufacturing facilities, and spent more than 70 nights in hotels. We’ve redesigned components, changed materials, improved alignment, developed new burr geometries, and rebuilt entire mechanisms when something didn’t work as expected.
MOMENTEM #3 now contains a lot of parts, including custom titanium components, two independently adjustable burrs, a removable fine-grinding unit, and our 4-in-1 catch cup. Every grinder is assembled and inspected by hand. And despite all that experience, producing just 150 grinders this year has still been incredibly difficult.
Why We’re Stopping Production
The reality is simple: MOMENTEM has become too complicated and expensive for our small organization to manufacture sustainably. We are not a traditional grinder company. I’M NOT A BARISTA is a small, not-for-profit organization. Our mission has always been to support coffee people and give a voice to those behind the cup. MOMENTEM started as a passion project, driven by our love for coffee, engineering, and the curiosity to create something different.
But the financial reality has become increasingly difficult. Manufacturing costs have risen dramatically. Small production quantities mean higher component prices, longer waiting times, and very little bargaining power with factories. Even a tiny dimensional difference between two components can create problems.
We’ve experienced this firsthand. During Batch #3, we spent weeks at the factory inspecting components, testing mechanisms, correcting tolerances, and sometimes remaking parts that had already been manufactured. Some grinders were checked four or more times before they were finally packed. Every additional factory visit, rejected component, replacement part, and day spent on QC added to the cost.
The truth is that we’re now spending more to produce and deliver some of these grinders than we receive from selling them.
This is not sustainable for an organization of our size. We could continue raising prices, finding new suppliers, or attempting another production run. But doing so would mean committing even more of our limited time, money, and resources to manufacturing, rather than the coffee community we’re here to serve. At some point, we have to recognize our limits. And we’ve reached ours.
We Chose a Different Path
Throughout this journey, we’ve maintained a simple philosophy: no paid influencer marketing, no sponsored endorsements, and no chasing competition titles to sell grinders. Not because we believe other brands are doing something wrong, but because we wanted MOMENTEM to find its own people.
People who discovered it because they were curious. People who purchased it because they believed in the idea. People who spent their own money, used it, challenged it, and told us what they genuinely thought. Some of the most meaningful moments in this project weren’t sales milestones or public recognition. They were messages from owners telling us how much they enjoyed their grinders. People who purchased the original MOMENTEM and returned for Batch #3. People who compared MOMENTEM with other excellent grinders and shared their experiences. And even people who told us they would happily wait another year just for the opportunity to own one.
You became our biggest influencers.
Your feedback influenced our designs. Your curiosity encouraged us to experiment. And your support kept us going through moments when giving up would have been much easier. For that, we will always be grateful.
We’re Tired. But We’re Proud.
There is something we’ve talked about within our tiny team. If we were kids, MOMENTEM would be the kind of ridiculously cool toy we’d be excited to receive, take apart, experiment with, and show to our friends. And if we’re lucky enough to reach 80 years old, we want to look back at this project and say, “Damn, we actually made that grinder.”
That feeling hasn’t changed. We are genuinely proud of what we’ve created. MOMENTEM isn’t perfect. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve learned difficult lessons. We’ve disappointed people with delays, and we’ve had to apologize more times than we ever wanted. But we’ve also created something that didn’t exist before in quite the same way.
A hand grinder with two independently adjustable grinding stages, built around the idea that coffee grinding doesn’t have to be limited to a single fixed profile. We call it the Dynamic Grinding Profile. Whether MOMENTEM is better than another grinder was never the question we wanted to answer. We simply wanted to explore what was possible. And we did.
What Happens Next?
MOMENTEM Batch #3 is our final production run. We will continue helping MOMENTEM owners with product questions, troubleshooting, and after-sales support. Ending production does not mean abandoning the people who supported us.
As for the future of MOMENTEM itself, we don’t necessarily believe this should be the end of the product. We still believe in the idea, the engineering, and the possibilities behind it. Perhaps one day, a company with the right resources, and long-term vision will be able to take MOMENTEM further than we could. We’re open to that possibility. But for I’M NOT A BARISTA, our chapter as the manufacturer of MOMENTEM is coming to an end. And that’s okay.
Thank You for Making the Impossible Possible
To everyone who backed our Kickstarter campaigns, purchased a grinder, shared feedback, helped us test prototypes, worked with us at the factories, or simply followed this strange little project over the years: thank you. And to everyone who waited patiently through the delays, unexpected problems, and endless updates: we owe you more than we can express.
We started MOMENTEM because we loved an idea. We kept going because you believed in it. And now, after more than four years, we’re finally ready to close this chapter. Not with regret. Not with disappointment. But with pride, gratitude, and a little bit of exhaustion.
We made MOMENTEM. And somewhere around the world, people are making coffee with something we once thought might be impossible to build. That’s a pretty beautiful feeling. The Last Grind. The End of Our Chapter. Not Necessarily the End of MOMENTEM.
With love and gratitude,
Micky
Founder of I’M NOT A BARISTA
