by Bart van de Kooij, on Feb 29, 2024 9:44:45 AM
February marked a breakthrough for us as we successfully containers with out all EU pre-order, launched our Android App on the Play Store and enhanced your pro-membership. We are eager to share these exciting developments with you.
GEN 3 Assembly Update
First Lot - GEN 3 - Production November '23 - COMPLETED
We completed making the first batch of GEN 3 units and sent them to customers by air and sea in November and December 2023.
Second Lot - GEN 3 - Production December '23 - ALMOST COMPLETED
The second batch of GEN 3 units was finished, and we shipped to customers by air and sea in January and February. Our sea freight shipment will arrive 29 February or March 1 2024.
Third Lot - GEN 3 - (Mass) Production January '24 - IN PROGRESS
Currently, we're in the middle of making a large number of GEN 3 units in January/ February and March 2024. Now, we are focusing on sea shipments only. Two containers left Shenzhen Port in early February, and we expect them to arrive in March. These containers include over 408 GEN 3 units + 320 kegs, fulfilling nearly all outstanding orders up to SH-5248 (excluding US/Canada orders). The ship, called OOCL INDONESIA 027W, is currently sailing around Africa.
For all customers based in Asia, your product will be dispatched directly from our warehouse in Shenzhen/Hong Kong to your country. Our team is currently finalising shipment details, as we prefer to combine orders and prioritise sea freight for efficiency.
Container shipment tracking
GEN 3 (EU) Production Update
With Chinese New Year behind us, mass production of the GEN 3 EU version resumed on February 26. Building on the January production momentum, we're thrilled to share that the main assembly line is buzzing with activity. We expect to reach 1.500 units made around beginning of March. After inspection, we are planning to ship the remaining units Mid-March with arrival date in April 2024. Our CEO, Bart van de Kooij and Quality Manager, Steven Slot will be overseeing the quality checks upcoming period in China.
Production line of MiniBrew
GEN 3 (US/CA) Production Update
In recent days, we've been in communication with ASME, based in Hartford (Connecticut) and with an office in Beijing (China), to clarify certification requirements. We've learned that certification duration ranges from 1 to 6 months, depending on meeting their quality levels. We are assessing our level and discussing strategies with our current agency to navigate this process.
Our factory, a seasoned supplier for renowned brands like Philips, Nepresso, and CuisineArt, follows certification level UL1082 for the USA. While UL1082 isn't mandatory for delivery to customers, it's optional for the US market.
Simultaneously, our manufacturing team has initiated work on the USA version and anticipates completing a small batch in the next 2-3 months.
Software Update
As our development team is working on all necessary upgrades, they've achieved a significant milestone by pushing the current beta Android app to the Google Play Store. This marks a considerable achievement!
Google Play Store
The team will gather feedback on our Discord server and Facebook group to enhance the app accordingly. In the meantime, we'll send out a survey about the usage of the mobile and web app to better understand your needs and desires. This information, coupled with insights from our UX/UI team, will guide the revamp of our apps and pro-membership for a fresh look.
Additionally, based on the valuable feedback from users who have made the transition from mobile app brewing with a brew pack to a pro-membership, we have introduced three default starter recipes. These recipes can be used a starting point. Our brewmaster will add more notes to give you guidance.
When you type in default recipe in the community search bar, it will pop-up.
Default recipe overview - https://pro.minibrew.io
Recipe 1 - Weizen: https://pro.minibrew.io/community/recipe/998283
Recipe 2 - Ipa: https://pro.minibrew.io/community/recipe/998285
Recipe 3 - Triple: https://pro.minibrew.io/community/recipe/998341
Collaboration with The Malt Miller
We've made significant steps with brew pack production in the UK. Mid-February, our Brewmaster and Quality Controller, Rolf, visited The Malt Miller In England. The purpose was to align on their processes and share Minibrew recipe assets for producing brew packs tailored to the UK market. We are impressed with The Malt Miller's setup, particularly their on-demand process for crafting fresh brew packs. We are excited about this collaboration.
They will build the top 15 packs to start with, with a view to add more to the range after launch. In the coming months that Minibrew and The Malt Miller will be working, bringing some of the their own recipes to the Minibrew platform, to add even more choice for the customer in the future.
The Malt Miller team made good headway getting the recipes onto their website over the last few days and should have the top 15 ready to go by the end of next week. When The Malt Miller team is ready for accepting orders, we will let everyone know.
The Malt Miller Production Process
Next update
Our next update, planned for the end of March, we will share more information about GEN 3 dispatch process for EU / US customers and new software developments. We appreciate your ongoing patience. Please feel free to share any feedback or thoughts in the comments. Thank you, as always, and happy MiniBrewing!
Cheers!
MiniBrew Team