Behind The Brew: Celebrating 10 Years Of The GEO

To celebrate a decade of our iconic single-serve pour-over the GEO, we sat down with our fearless leader Natalie, to talk about how this little packet of adventure made its way from Japan to Bozeman, and why it’s still a staple today.

Q: What exactly is the GEO, and why has it become a Treeline staple?

A: The GEO is a single-serve pour-over to go. It is designed to make brewing delicious, specialty grade coffee simple no matter where you are. The GEO became a Treeline staple from the start because both our team and our community are constantly on the move - whether that's traveling, camping, or just trying to get out the door fast. Being based in Bozeman, MT, where spending time in our outdoor spaces is especially important to us, the GEO fit right in with that lifestyle, and soon we were taking them everywhere. 

Q: Do you remember the first time you saw the GEO? What made you think, “We need this in Bozeman”?

A: Yes! My first business partner, Kelly, was introduced to the concept after a friend brought some back from Japan. At first, I was intrigued but skeptical. I wasn’t sure how I felt about pre-ground coffee. But the design was so clever and the process was so easy that we started researching how to bring the idea to life here in Bozeman.

Q: Was it hard to introduce a brand-new product like this to U.S. customers?

A: Definitely. Being a young company, things were already moving slowly for us, and then here we were introducing this totally new style of coffee. The GEO was unfamiliar to people, but that's actually what helped us stand out. People were curious and willing to try it. For a lot of folks, the GEO immediately replaced the instant coffee they’d been traveling with which was a huge win! 

Stacy Townsend (graphic designer of the GEO) and Natalie celebrating on the day the first round of packaging arrived June 2015

 

The GEO in its first iteration as part of Little Red Wagon Coffee Roasters before Natalie rebranded to Treeline Coffee Roasters in 2016

Q: How did you come up with the name “GEO?” 

A: Naming the GEO was its own adventure… we spent months brainstorming. We wanted something short, simple, and easy to say or spell. But more than that, we wanted the name to capture the spirit of the product: coffee you can take with you anywhere. “GEO” felt right because it nods to geography, travel, and exploration. The GEO is your pocket-sized pour-over that goes wherever you do.

Q: Do you have any funny stories or memorable moments from those first few years?

A: Oh, yes… In 2016, we got noticed by Cairn, a subscription box for outdoor enthusiasts, and they placed an order for 20,000 GEOs. We were ecstatic and also totally naïve. At the time, we were packaging every GEO by hand and had no real sense of how long it would take. After day one, we’d only finished a few hundred and realized at that pace it would take weeks. We rallied friends and family and somehow got everything packaged in about two weeks. It was exhausting but also one of those unforgettable “we’re really doing this” moments.

Hand Packaging 20,000 GEOs October 2015

 

Organizing some of the initial GEO orders after their launch in 2015 

Q: How have you seen the GEO evolve in 10 years?

A: The biggest change is that we no longer package each one by hand - thank goodness for our amazing co-packing partners at Pourta in Wyoming! Over the years, the packaging itself has also gone through many iterations as we refined the look and made it more sustainable. The GEO has definitely grown up alongside Treeline. 

Q: What’s the most surprising place you’ve seen someone take a GEO?

A: I don’t know if there’s a single most surprising place, but the range is incredible! We’ve seen GEOs on airplanes, on mountain summits, in hospitals, in cars, hotel rooms, and kitchens at home. Pretty much anywhere you can imagine, someone has brewed a GEO there.

Q: Why do you think people connect with the GEO so much?

A: I think it’s because it gives you a sense of home, no matter where you are. Coffee is such a ritual and a comfort. The GEO lets you have your coffee your way, even if you’re miles from your favorite café. It’s an easy, little indulgence and a familiar taste that makes you feel grounded.

Q: Looking ahead, what do you think is next for the GEO?

A: We’re excited to keep exploring new coffees and origins for the GEO and to share them with more people. The GEO has always been about making specialty coffee accessible anywhere, and we can’t wait to keep spreading that joy. 

10 years down, and many more adventures to go! ✨