Countertop Composter

[nelsonic]

⚠️ Warning: Don't look at this until you have time to go down this rabbit hole ... ⏳

Context

We've had 4 compost bins over the last 12 years ranging from $20 - $60.
They are all very slow and end up smelling bad even when regularly cleaned and kept outside on the veranda.
We need a better solution.

Lomi

Meet Lomi, the best way to compost at home: https://youtu.be/vFKAV4DD5ZY

Interesting how their intro video has (only) 393k views as of the time of writing, but they claim to have 75k orders.
That's an incredible 19% conversion rate ... maybe they have other intro videos that have more views. 💭
https://www.youtube.com/c/PelaEarth/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid

CNET Advertorial: Lomi Composter Turns Waste Into Soil FAST Without the Stink: https://youtu.be/b5SZFrT5B-s

Landing/sales page: https://pela.earth/lomi

Note: I'm not thinking of spending $499 on a device that then locks me into a proprietary LomiPods+Filters subscription at $39 every _3 months)!! 💸 🔥 at that price I'd prefer to just put all kitchen scraps in the bin and let the landfill have the organic matter.

But we can learn several things from this website:

1. There are tens of thousands (75k) of people who are eco-conscious enough to want to process their food scraps at home and pony up $500 + 160/year for the privilege. If they have in fact sold 75k of these "packages", then they not only have an epic $37,500,000 yes, you read that correctly, $37.5 Million up-front revenue but also potentially recurring revenue of $750k/month for the useful lifetime of the product!

2. This is a masterclass in landing page / conversion design!

Original indiegogo page:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lomi-turn-waste-to-compost-with-a-single-button#/

I searched for the Patent but only found this nebulous reference on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/meetlomi/posts/133372128765789

They filed for a US Trademark last January: https://uspto.report/TM/90486638

## Alternative?

https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/foodcycler-fc-50

Not quite the same because the scraps are only chopped down and dehydrated.
But still a lot better than a kitchen bin that would smell bad ... 💭

Open Hardware?

If there was an Open Hardware/Source alternative to this it would probably make even more cash!
We could build one that used off-the-shelf components e.g:
2 pack of IKEA Charcoal Filter: https://www.ikea.com/pt/en/p/nyttig-fil-400-charcoal-filter-70401947/

Note: not suggesting that we should use the IKEA one, just that it's probably widely available around the world thanks to their global reach and €25 for 2 units each of which will last 2-3 years ...

Product details
By washing this charcoal filter approximately every three months, it can be reused and maintain its functionality for about 2-3 years. Effectively absorbs smell of cooking when the air is recirculated.

This would require a decent amount of product design / engineering ... but is totally doable. 💡
I wonder how much up-front investment would be required ... €200k? 💭

[nelsonic]

Kalea €729 ... https://www.mykalea.de/

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kalea-turn-kitchen-waste-into-compost-in-only-48h#/

[nelsonic]

CLOey: The Ultimate Composter ... https://youtu.be/4MdYSNU-yGg

I wonder how many of these there are .. 🤷‍♂️

[iteles]

I find that countertop composters also show up on Kickstarter all the time and are almost always overfunded.

Like the WasterReviver which to my understanding works in a similar way to the Lomi:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wastereviver/wastereviver-worlds-first-kitchen-composter

Then you have things like the Bokashi which doesn't yield soil but actual compost like a traditional composter:
https://pegadaverde.pt/pt_pt/compostor-domestico-bokashi-organko-2-creme.html

You need an accelerant powder (a lot of it) and it has to be sealed for 2 weeks to turn to compost, but no worms.
https://youtu.be/Sn3LeJLysT4

[nelsonic]

@iteles what do you think of the idea in principal of having a fast composter similar to any of these? 💭

[iteles]

I love the idea. It's 'guaranteed composting' given its right there and easy.

There are lots of people who wouldn't compost otherwise.

[nelsonic]

Putting this here so I can research later:

Triturador de ramos silencioso AXT 25 TC BOSCH

https://www.ferramentarotativa.com/triturador-de-ramos-silencioso-axt-25-tc-bosch

please ignore.

[nelsonic]

@iteles you mentioned the other day that you had an idea for this ,…

[nelsonic]

Superseded by #325