ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US – The pandemic has led to a surge of interest in spending time outdoors, as people have sought safer ways to be together while practicing social distancing. A new Kickstarter will launch in April for the latest product to serve this trend: “JoGo” – the world’s most compact and portable way to enjoy coffee or tea without the use of anything else other than water and a cup.
JoGo is a sleek and durable stainless steel straw with an insulated silicone mouthpiece. The genius of the design is the addition of a stainless steel, utility and design patent pending, proprietary filter at its base that is removable for effortless cleaning. It’s ideal for coffee and loose leaf tea, and may be used in cocktails, pulpy juices, or any beverage a user may want.
Recognized for its sustainability and convenience, JoGo was just awarded the “Project We Love” badge by Kickstarter in anticipation of the product’s upcoming late March launch date. That follows its selection by the U.S. State Department to be a featured innovation at the 2019 Global Entrepreneurial Summit in the Netherlands.
The inspiration for the JoGo came when Jones was on a 28,000-mile solo motorcycle expedition from Minnesota to Argentina in 2016. While in Argentina, a family gifted him a “bombilla”– a straw with a filter that was originally designed back in the 16th century for drinking loose leaf Yerba Mate tea.
After his motorcycle trip through South America, Jones and Yehle led a canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness. Frustrated by the process of brewing coffee in the outdoors with bulky brewing hardware, the pair had an epiphany that the bombilla held the solution. While the traditional bombilla’s filter worked with loose leaf tea, it wasn’t fine enough to filter coffee.
“We designed a new filtration system at the base of the JoGo straw that works with tea and coffee,” said Jones. “It’s simple, built to last, and it makes coffee just as rich and robust as if it were brewed from a French press, but without the press.”
“And if you compare JoGo’s estimated price of $20 to the cost of single-serve brewing systems that average well over $100 — in addition to the hundreds per year spent on plastic coffee pods. JoGo quickly pays for itself; it fits in your pocket, backpack, or purse for brewing whenever, wherever” said Yehle.
JoGo’s sustainable design is meant to eliminate the harmful waste generated by plastic straws and many single use coffee methods. Further, they will be donating five percent of their profits to Survivor International, an NGO that partners with tribal people around the world to fight for their land rights and livelihoods.
