What started as creating comedic TikTok videos as a study break from medical school has turned into a java business geared for health-care professionals.
Charlotte-based CoffeeDocs Co. is an online startup that provides ready-to-drink nitro cold coffee in an eight-pack or 96-ounce box. Bryce Piro, Brody Fogleman and Alexander Holland — medical students at VCOM-Carolinas — founded the company after a video on their TikTok account, @3wannabedocs, gained 524,000 likes and 4.6 million views. The trio posts humorous medical-related videos on the social-media page, which has nearly 55,000 followers and 3.7 million likes.
Piro, CEO and co-founder of CoffeeDocs, told CBJ that prior to the social-media buzz, he flew out to Los Angeles for an event and discovered a scrubs company started by a medical social-media influencer. Inspired by the content creator's ability to launch a company associated with her profession, the trio decided to see if they could do it as well. And after drinking his fourth cup of coffee, Piro said the idea for CoffeeDocs was born.
The startup, founded in 2022, is designed to empower and keep busy health-care workers and other hardworking professionals caffeinated.
"We wanted to look at it from the terms of health-care professionals, or really any busy on-the-go professional," said Piro. "We have everything ready to drink. We didn't think it would be beneficial to have a bag of coffee that you have to take the time to make because we just don't really have time for that."
CoffeeDocs' medium roast Snapchill coffee is made with arabica coffee beans and filtered water. It's free of any artificial preservatives, sweeteners, colors or flavors and is nitro brewed. An eight-pack of coffee cans and a 96-ounce box of cold brew both sell for $24.99, according to the company's website.
Piro said roughly 50 customers a month purchase the coffee, which accounts for about 4,000 cans and 500 boxes sold since launching last October.
He was also asked to attend as a guest on the widely known Dr. Phil talk show after the co-founders posted a TikTok video about 2022's tipping culture going overboard. The video gained the show's attention, and Piro was asked to explain his viewpoint on tipping and even had the opportunity to speak about his coffee product on TV.
CoffeeDocs aims to transition from e-commerce sales to having its product on the shelves of local stores. Piro said he also hopes to build the trio's social-media page, which is frequently used as an advertising outlet for their coffee products.
