‘Bou HQ: Pouring everything into a passion for coffee and design with Jake Miller of Fellow
Welcome to ‘Bou HQ* – Caribou Coffee’s ongoing series of spotlight entrepreneurs whose best ideas started where community happens – over coffee. In this edition, we sat down with Jake Miller, CEO and founder of renowned, design-led brand Fellow, taking the excellence of the coffeehouse experience to the home enthusiast.
‘Bou HQ: So, Jake, tell us a little about your early days at Caribou – which must seem like a lifetime ago?
Jake Miller: It was a great time. But even before I worked at Caribou, I loved the brand. Going to Caribou wasn’t just about grabbing a cup of your favorite coffee and leaving—it was (and still is) about meeting friends, laughing, dreaming, and talking about what’s next. Caribou has always been a place where ideas could happen. That energy really stuck with me even today. One of the great things about working at Caribou is that you get to do so much. So, I ended up not just in coffee marketing but working closely with our roast master and their team at the time. I learned all about beans and quality and a real appreciation for specialty coffee that fuels everything we do at Fellow today.
‘Bou HQ: Where did the idea for Fellow first strike you?
JM: I started noticing a gap. People were buying amazing specialty coffee—from Caribou and other roasters but then brewing it at home with equipment that might be 20 or 30 years old. That means the end results can’t ever match the quality of the coffee. That disconnect really bothered me. I kept thinking there has to be a better way.
‘Bou HQ: When did you decide you were ready to start your own thing?
JM: I realized I wanted to build something myself. As much as I loved working with the team and everyone at Caribou, I didn’t want to spend my career building someone else’s dream. Caribou was incredibly supportive of that decision. So, I went to Stanford Business School for a full-time MBA, but I also took engineering and product design classes, which amounted to probably 20–30% of my coursework. That was amazingly helpful. I loved being upstream of marketing, closer to the product itself, like launching a new drink but in physical form.
‘Bou HQ: Are we right in thinking Fellow started as a class project at Stanford?
JM: It did. My second-year class project became Fellow’s first product. And as we were workshopping it, I brought the concept back to Caribou roastmasters for input and feedback. The idea was to combine the best of a French press with the best of a pour-over. We launched it on Kickstarter, and it got a lot of attention and buy-in but ultimately, it failed. It was too complicated, with too many parts and too niche. And we were creating a new category with a product built for extreme coffee “nerds” and not for the everyday coffee lover. But that failure taught us to move faster, simplify, and iterate.
‘Bou HQ: And that led to Fellow’s breakthrough?
JM: Product number two is our pour-over kettle. It was already an existing category so instead of educating consumers, we were able to focus on real innovation. Things like precision pouring, temperature control and thoughtful design. That product put Fellow on the map, and we’ve grown a lot. Today we’re about 100 people, and my role has shifted from being an energetic product designer to finding other leaders and inspiring our teams.
‘Bou HQ: Any mentors help shape the journey along the way?
JM: Two people stand out. Kathy Hollenhorst, the former VP of marketing at Caribou who hired me—I actually had my first interview with her at a Caribou coffeehouse. Kathy’s been an incredible mentor ever since. And later, Matt Spanjers, then Chief Development Officer, supported me when I decided to leave for business school. He helped me think my plan through and encouraged me, even though it meant losing me as an employee. That kind of support is so rare and stays with you. I try to carry that level of support for employees and team members forward at Fellow.
‘Bou HQ: What advice do you give aspiring entrepreneurs?
JM: Don’t overthink it—just go. If it’s in your heart, you can’t be half in. Short-term risk is high, and failure is likely, but that applies to almost everything worth doing. You grow more by trying than by staying comfortable.
‘Bou HQ: What’s next for Fellow?
JM: We feel like we’ve “solved” pour-over. Now we’re tackling espresso. We’re launching our first-ever espresso machine—something we’ve wanted to build for five or six years now. But doing that is incredibly complex, and it requires more than $5 million in funded R&D. The goal is simple even if the work is difficult: close the gap between café-quality espresso and what you can make at home.
‘Bou HQ: Last question—how does Caribou’s influence show up in Fellow today?
JM: Caribou gives people permission to dream—whether that’s customers sitting in a coffeehouse, starting a business, or networking, or employees thinking about what’s next for them too. If Fellow can do the same for our team and our community, then we’re doing something right.
Final sip
At ‘Bou HQ, we celebrate innovators who turn coffeehouse conversations into companies that connect people. If you have a story of a business idea or your next big thing that was sparked at a Caribou coffeehouse, we’d love to hear from you. Submit your story – and you could be featured in an upcoming edition.
*The opinions expressed in this story are those of the individual or organization featured, and do not necessarily reflect the view of Caribou Coffee. Caribou Coffee is not affiliated, does not endorse, or receive a benefit from any organization, business, or individual featured in ‘Bou HQ. All photos are used with permission and remain the property of their respective owners.