![]() Waldron, 37, spends his days running Conjure Coffee, the café and roasting business sitting on the triangle of land where Columbia Avenue and St. and, of course, Conjure Coffee.įorbing, 37, devotes his time to research and Modbar product development. Modbar plans to unveil a new product at the Specialty Coffee Association conference next week in Seattle. Customers include Fortezza Coffee at 819 S. The products also are wired for differing electrical grids.Įvery Modbar system gives baristas control of water pressure and temperature. Modbar items bound for European and other customers are made in Italy.īecause each country sets its own safety and sanitary standards, the machines have to be tweaked before shipping to comply with the rules. ![]() The local production line averages two modules each day. Twice each month, the company holds two-day classes on installation and maintenance at Modbar headquarters, 628 Leesburg Road.Ībout 15 people work in the building, where the products sold in North, South and Central America are assembled. “They’re an incredible partner,” Forbing said.Īs the company has grown, Modbar has built an international network of technicians trained to maintain and service its products. La Marzocco, which was founded about 90 years ago, brought its experience and capital to the table for Modbar. The partners started by buying the assets of Jet Steam and dissolving that company. In 2012, they jointly decided the time was right to launch Modbar. The Italians loved the concept but put the brakes on expansion after the 2009 economic crisis. Waldron and Forbing met executives with La Marzocco. Jet Steam picked up some steam, but the company didn’t have enough money to push through the growing pains many startups experience, Waldron said. “You choose,” Forbing said, “how big and how creative you want your bar to be.” Waldron realized he could allow café owners more flexibility by making and selling each component separately. It was impossible to move the espresso brewing arm to another location or add an extra steaming wand. Waldron noticed that not only were other products taking up lots of counter space, the coffee machines were also one-size-fits-all. Although their product was more technologically advanced than many others, the inventors still found opportunities for improvement. ![]() Waldron and Forbing took their prototype to a trade show, which exposed them to various competitors’ products. The bandmates formed a partnership and, along with financial backers including Todd Ellis, founded Jet Steam in 2007. “But also making great coffee was important.” ![]() “Aesthetics were highly, highly important,” Forbing said. Waldron had sketches dating back to 1999. Keep in mind, Waldron said, this was before Starbucks came to town and locally roasted coffee became a craze.Īs luck would have it, Waldron was dreaming out loud to someone who could make a prototype. Forbing, who was working at Ward Corp.’s local foundry, knew how to make molds and machine holes into metal castings. He wanted customers to understand why, in his opinion, higher-end coffee is worth the extra expense. ![]() Waldron shared his dream of creating a more customer-friendly coffee bar experience. As a barista at Old Crown Coffee Roasters, Waldron didn’t like ducking behind a brewing machine to fill an order. “It’s amazing seeing someone make your coffee by hand,” he said.įorbing and Waldron spent free time in their early 20s in a jazz jam band called Copious Stimuli. Between sets, the local guys drank beer and talked about life. Growth has been fueled by a partnership with Italian espresso-machine maker La Marzocco, which owns a majority stake in Fort Wayne-based Modbar. Waldron and co-founder Aric Forbing are minority shareholders.įor Forbing, there’s no mystery behind the company’s success. The resulting company, Modbar, manufactures and sells coffee-making appliances to cafés in the U.S. ![]()
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