Food start-ups abound. Series 3 of 3.  

A few weeks ago, I was discussing about food start-ups to a group and mentioned the term "curated" food events. One commented that he didn't know what "curated" means - synonymous to organized events. In this case, a customized food experience. That's how Simmr.co, another few-months-old startup, is carving their niche with the goal of creating a loyal customer base for SMBs or mom-and-pop shops in San Francisco. Thanks to the invitation of one of their young co-founders/owners, Wendy Lin, I was able to partake in their coffee break event at Contraband Coffee and meet young coffee connoisseurs last month.

The 1.5 hour event took me back to my barista training days at another coffee roaster in the city. I quickly realized that I still suck at coffee art! One of the baristas also introduced us to a new form of brewing machine called Blossom. Contraband is one of the first coffee shops in the city using Blossom and is still experimenting on different coffee flavors. This is exciting news for coffee lovers out there.

At the end of the event, we each got a take home a souvenir, a pack of coffee beans, and took a survey on our smartphones (don't you just love the power of technology!).

The Blossom. Pretty cool coffee machine eh!

Brewing time tic-toc.

Coffee cupping. I lost my notes so apologies since I can't remember which one is which. One of them is from the Blossom.

Knick knacks to clear the palette.

More sweets from Contraband.

Espresso time.

Stamping.

A shot of espresso.

Obviously this is not my coffee art!

Simmr.co has more food events in San Francisco for 2014 so if you are looking for something different to do and passionate about the art of food, check out their upcoming events here.

Disclosure: I was invited to the Coffee Break event for free.


Want to learn more about food start-ups? Read my articles about MakeEatEasy.us and Kuli Kuli.