Before
Milton Coffee Co.
I spent 20 years building a business in the automotive aftermarket. I launched it when I was an 18-year-old car-obsessed kid with an eye for design and a drive to build something better than what was out there. I wore all the hats as the founder, the CEO, and the product guy, and the everything-else guy all at once. I ran everything from shaping our product line to managing the supply chain to acting as the face for the brand. Everyday was fast-paced, demanding, and stressful, and I loved every bit of it. But everyday demanded coffee, lots of coffee, quickly. My tool of choice? The black plastic Nespresso machine sitting in the corner of my office. It wasn’t beautiful. But it worked, it was fast, and the coffee was pretty good.
Ready for something new
I sold a majority-stake in that company in 2018, and with the support of my investors, together we scaled the business by over five times. As the company grew, the suits and ties eventually out-numbered the enthusiasts, the work got too routine, and I realized it was time for something new. With a clean-slate in hand, I left Atlanta, and moved to Milton, Georgia. To celebrate my newfound freedom, I bought myself a beautiful Slayer Espresso machine and treated myself to the time required to learn how to use it. When it comes to Slayer…Well if you know, you know. Part espresso machine, part countertop art, and every bit as satisfying to use as it is to look at. I love that thing.
One Day I asked myself
Why doesn’t something like this exist for the rest of us? Like…the old me, who didn’t have enough time in the day for a real espresso machine? The truth is, most people drink capsule coffee. It’s fast, easy, and honestly - the taste has come a long way. But the machines? Cheap on purpose. Black, maybe chrome plastic, and usually an embarrassment on the countertop of any high-end kitchen. How is it that 40% of American homes - and nearly every hotel on the planet - is just cool with that? Oh right…because the big brands basically hand them out for free, as long as you keep buying their pods.
A unique perspective
First of all, I’ve lived on both sides of the fence. The Nespresso drinker who just wanted something quick, and then the guy who went deep down the rabbit hole after buying a Slayer...one of the most amazing espresso machines on the planet...but also one that takes a lot of time, patience, and dedication to master. That gave me a perspective most coffee drinkers don’t have: an appreciation for both convenience and craftsmanship. Combine that with a background in product design and the freedom to finally build whatever I wanted, and the path forward was obvious. My observation was simple - there were zero high-end options for pod-coffee machines. None. And in an industry as mature as coffee, that was shocking. So I combined all those experiences….as a Nespresso drinker turned coffee-nerd, an experienced product designer, and someone ready for a new challenge - and set out to create a machine built for both versions of me.
DESIGNED FOR ME
I designed the Line1 for myself. Customer #0001. I wanted something that makes great coffee fast, feels incredible to use, and actually looks like it belongs in a high-end space. Every detail comes from my own tastes and preferences. The materials. The colors. The feel of the lever. The textures on the panels. If I didn’t think it was cool, it didn’t make the cut. Sorry, not sorry. So why hasn’t anyone else built something like this in an industry as mature as coffee? Well I suppose its because most companies capable of making serious coffee gear won’t touch pods. In the world of coffee: The purists make the best gear...but that same group of purists generally also dont consider pods a form factor worth their while. Fortunately for you, we’re open-minded enough to build for the coffee consumer who doesn't care much about the ritual....but cares enough to be proud of the machine that sits on their countertop. And fortunately for me, even if nobody else liked it, I’d still have a warehouse full of incredible Nespresso machines built just the way I like em!
Every detail comes from my own tastes and preferences. The materials. The colors. The feel of the lever. The textures on the panels.
We are
MILTON COFFEE COMPANY
We're a team of 12 friends working to redefine the world of single-serve coffee. To really transform the experience. To make it beautiful, personal, and deliver a bit of joy before getting back to reality. Each custom machine is hand-assembled in Georgia using high-end materials and engineered with precision, inside and out. We enjoy quality and character in everything we use…from cool pens to watches to espresso makers, and if that sounds like you, then you'll appreciate this too.
Matt Kossoff
FOUNDER & CEO
Leads Milton’s vision, product direction, and strategy, combining an obsession with coffee, architecture, product design, and tactility into, well, this.
Brian Reese
CHAIRMAN & CFO
Matt’s longtime mentor and financial sounding board, helping guide Milton with steady perspective and big-picture discipline.
Todd Silverstein
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Builds brands that scale, from startups to Fortune 10 companies, and makes sure people understand why Milton exists.
Yoshi Ishida
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN & ENGINEERING
Leads product design and engineering with a focus on materials, performance, and usability. Matt’s longtime partner in the pursuit of product design perfection.
Andrew Powers
DIRECTOR, PRODUCT OPERATIONS
Oversees production of our custom machines, hand building each one with careful attention to detail at our workshop in Milton, Georgia
Louisa Kamau
VP OF OPERATIONS
Keeps the machines moving, the coffee inventory fresh, and everything arriving when it should, so you get what you expect when you expect it.
Savio D’Silva
PAID MEDIA
Leads paid advertising across platforms, making sure the right people discover what Milton Coffee is all about.
Zach Williams
DIRECTOR, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Makes sure every customer is taken care of with the kind of service you would expect from a company that puts customers first.
Rob Shimits
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Shapes Milton’s visual identity across branding, packaging, and the website you are looking at right now.
Josh Beberg
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL CONTENT
Runs the in-house studio and produces the photo and video work that brings Milton to life.
Shaun Rodecker
PHOTOGRAPHER
Captures the machines as they really look in real life. No, the photos are not AI.
Sanjiv Hulugalle
ADVISOR, HOTELS & RESORTS
Brings deep experience in luxury hospitality and helps connect Milton with properties that share a strong respect for design and quality.
Sharing the same joy, with you.
I started Milton Coffee because I wanted to share a bit of the same joy that my Slayer brings me every morning with all my caffeine-loving cohorts out there who just don’t have the time or know-how to use a commercial-grade machine. And now they’ll never need to. This is for them.
Matt Kossoff
Founder, Milton Coffee Co.