24 Hours In: What We Learned From Your Feedback

The Response

24 hours ago, we shared Coffee Pals on reddit, and the response has been overwhelming. 127 people from 23 countries have joined the waitlist, with 109 expressing interest in beta testing. This isn't just numbers - it's a community forming around a shared love for discovering exceptional coffee.

The top countries? United States (59), United Kingdom (19), Canada (9), India (8), and Germany (7). But what excites us most is the global reach: from Finland to Singapore, from Australia to the UAE, coffee lovers everywhere are saying "yes" to this idea.

What We Learned

1. Regional Shipping Makes Sense

Multiple community members raised excellent points about shipping preferences:

"Instead of just national only or international, you should at least give people on the EU the possibility to select 'EU only' as it would be basically equivalent of national in term of taxes." - eftalankwest

"I would not want to be matched with someone from my country (Finland), but not with someone from the other side of the world either." - jusatinn

What we're doing: We're adding an EU-wide shipping option. This strikes the perfect balance—exploring beyond your borders without the complexity of worldwide shipping. We're also exploring regional options for other areas where this makes sense.

2. US Customs Reality Check

goodbeanscoffee brought critical information to our attention about the end of the de-minimis exception in the US. While igoslowly clarified that gifts under $100 should still be exempt, this is a real concern that affects feasibility.

What we're doing:

Defaulting US users to "Domestic only" matching
Making international opt-in with clear warnings about customs
Continuing to research the specific implications
Being transparent about potential complications

For US members: we want you to have a great experience, and domestic matching ensures smooth, predictable exchanges.

3. Not Everyone Can Commit Monthly

Several members asked about flexibility:

"Would you be able to opt in/out certain months? I'm interested, but not sure I could commit to every month." - hotteaandcoffee

"That sounds like a fun idea, would be interested to do this quarterly I think. Monthly commitment may be out of some people's budget." - UsefulAd8513

What we're doing: Adding quarterly and opt-in/opt-out flexibility. Coffee exchange shouldn't feel like a burden—it should be something you look forward to. You'll be able to skip months when life gets busy or budget is tight.

4. Decaf Deserves Love Too

DarthVaderLovesU asked: "Does preferences include those of us that just drink decaf?"

Great question! We've now added a decaf preference option to profiles. Whether you drink decaf for health, pregnancy, sleep, or simply because you love the flavor - you deserve to discover amazing coffee too.

Technical Wins

Behind the scenes, we've been busy:

Fixed the beta checkbox bug (reported by glenthecomputerguy, fixed within the hour)
Enhanced the dashboard with improved profile cards and exchange tracking
Evolved the feedback system from star ratings to a more community-focused approach with thank you notes and awards
Replaced reputation scores with transparent "completed exchanges" count
Email deliverability confirmed - welcome emails landing in inboxes, not spam

What's Next

Based on your feedback, here's what we're prioritizing:

Short Term (Next 2 Weeks)

✅ Add decaf preference option (DONE!)
🚧 Implement EU-wide shipping option
🚧 Add quarterly participation option
🚧 Create opt-in/opt-out monthly flexibility
🚧 Default US users to domestic with clear international warnings

Medium Term (Beta Launch)

Polish the matching algorithm to handle regional preferences
Test with beta group to ensure smooth exchanges
Build out the awards and badges system
Create comprehensive shipping guidelines by region

A Note on Inspiration

Several of you recognized the inspiration from Third Wave Wichteln—thank you for those wonderful exchanges! One member said it perfectly:

"That was really fun but I think it just got too big and unwieldly so the organisers stopped when covid hit making it even harder to coordinate."

We're building Coffee Pals to solve exactly these challenges: sustainable growth, reliable matching, community engagement, and systems that can scale without burning out the organizers.

Join Us

The beta is coming soon. If you haven't joined the waitlist yet: coffeepals.io

To everyone who signed up, provided feedback, and shared their enthusiasm — thank you. You're not just beta testers; you're co-creators of this community.

Here's to discovering exceptional coffee, one exchange at a time.

☕️

*Want to follow our progress? We'll be sharing updates here on the blog as we build toward beta launch.