John Sylvan

About

Inventor and entrepreneur known for being the co-founder of Keurig and the inventor of the single serve coffee pod K-Cup which revolutionized how coffee is made in offices and homes. He is also known for publicly expressing regret over the environmental impact of K-Cups due to their plastic waste and for continuing to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. 

Before fame

He attended Colby College in Maine where he met future Keurig co-founder Peter Dragone. He worked in Massachusetts after graduating including working as a marketing manager at Analog Devices in the mid-1980s. He became frustrated with the quality and inconvenience of office coffee which inspired his idea for a single-serve brewing system. He began experimenting with early prototypes in his apartment in the late 1980s. He officially co-founded Keurig in 1992. He was forced out of the company in 1997 and sold his stake for just over $50,000 before Keurig became highly profitable. He was running the solar energy company Zonbak by 2015 as he gradually shifted towards supporting environmentally friendly companies.

Trivia

He named Keurig after the Dutch word for excellence to reflect his goal of improving coffee quality. He originally designed the product for office use rather than home kitchens. He drank 30 to 40 cups of coffee per day while testing early prototypes. He eventually became known for criticizing his own invention including calling attention to its environmental impact and by stating that he does not use K-Cups himself. He co-founded Pro Van Kits in 2020 which is a company specializing in modular van conversion systems and product design. He holds at least nine U.S. patents.

Family life

He is from the United States and has lived in Maine and Massachusetts. He is a father.

Associated with

He and Howard Schultz both played major roles in shaping modern coffee culture.