How Nespresso Became the Luxury Instant Coffee Brand

Here’s an interesting case of a brand dominating its market via the art of ingratiation. The basics: Nespresso makes instant coffee. You know, the little pods that you put into a machine and press a button to prepare. It’s easy, but it doesn’t taste all that great no matter how good the beans are (we know because we drink it every day). OK, so why do so many of the nation’s top restaurants use Nespresso pods? Wouldn’t diners paying hundreds of dollars for a meal want something a little…fancier?

Well, Nespresso didn’t just hire George Clooney and Penelope Cruz to hawk its products — the brand also carefully wormed its way into the good graces of chefs at top restaurants by hyping the size and convenience of its coffeemakers and convincing big names to sign contracts promising to exclusively use Nespresso in their kitchens.

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