Simple on purpose: Why we keep our filters sustainably created, simple and economical

There’s a widespread belief in business that to stay relevant and keep going, you’ve got to always be innovating. In this view, a business is only really successful if it grows and grows—if it sells more and the bottom line gets bigger every year.

Why is that? What if the purpose of a business is to offer something valuable, year after year, and simply sustain that offering?

Growth for growth’s sake, an eye toward an ever expanding bottom line — in this way, so many businesses grow away from themselves and their core idea. 

Simple, small and mighty

The CoffeeSock core idea was always about simplicity. We wanted a simple, economical way to brew coffee (tea and nut milks too!) without creating trash or a bad brew. And that’s just what we created — a super simple, organic cotton filter made sustainably.

Once we perfected the design, we developed a production method that kept the quality high, the makers happy and the price affordable. We built out our Austin mini-factory with this in mind and have been sewing our filters in house since the beginning. 

The coffeesock remains much as it was in 2011 when we started.  You can still brew without creating paper trash. You can still use a single filter for several months, replacing more than 500 paper filters. And you can still compost your sock and its packaging for a waste-free brew.

And yes, you can still make a well-balanced cup of coffee, a flavorful tea, or fresh nut milks and infusions without imparting chemicals, bleaches, microplastics, or heavy oils and acids. And you can do it for less money than buying a steady supply of disposable filters.

Sometimes we wonder what else we should be doing. We wonder if we should be bigger with more and more products and larger production batches. 

Growing slowly, by heart and hand

Over the years, we’ve added new brew methods and tested new rings on our cold brew filters. We developed filter cleaning tablets and spice packs. We perfected a sock version for making compost tea. We’ve tried out methods of repurposing the cotton scraps we produce by making our Socks. We’ve even ventured in a new direction, packaging up our family’s favorite morning meal into Coco’s Morning Muesli.

It’s all happened slowly and organically, as our curiosity and interests have led us and our friends and customers have asked us. And it remains handmade, sustainably sourced, and locally produced.

So, what if we stay small, economical and simple on purpose? What if our biggest dream as small business owners has always been to offer a great product that we believe in while supporting our family and being good stewards of our community? What if that’s all we ever are? 

Honestly, we kind of think that should be the role of businesses: offer something valuable, durable, and high quality, produced in a sustainable way. That’s something we can remain proud of. 

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." — Dolly Parton

The goal was never to be massive. The goal was never to make more and more money and any cost. 

The goal was a great cup of coffee, a happy family business, and a world with less trash. 

We’ll stay simple on purpose.