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.

I sold a majority-stake in that company in 2018, and with the support of my investors, together we scaled the business by over 5 times As the company grew, the suits and ties eventually took over, 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 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.

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.

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. 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 Nespresso-style machines. None. And in an industry as mature as coffee, that was shocking. So I combined all those experiences….as a Nespresso drinker, a Slayer owner, an experienced product designer, and someone ready for a new challenge - and set out to create a machine built for both versions of 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. So why hasn’t anyone else built something like this in such a massive category? Most companies capable of making serious coffee gear won’t touch pods. In the traditional coffee world, the purists make the good stuff, but the purists also treat Nespresso like it’s taboo. Fortunately for you, we’re open-minded enough to build for the coffee drinker who wants top-tier quality, fast workflow, and a machine that actually belongs on the countertop. And fortunately for me, even if nobody else liked it, I’d still have a warehouse full of incredible Nespresso machines built just for me.

We're a team of 13 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.

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.