The popularity of capsule coffee systems like K-Cups and Nespresso is a marketing marvel. aGreen Mountain Coffee Roasters estimates that around 13% of all U.S. households have one of their devices. But the real money comes from not from the machines but from the single serve capsules. Ounce for ounce, consumers are generally paying anywhere from $35 – 60 a pound for the ground coffee inside these capsules therefore getting consumers to pay for these capsules is very lucrative.  However forcing consumers to use your capsules is not a good strategy.