Bizzy Cold Brew Review: Meet the CEO Behind the Smoothest Coffee in Your Fridge
There’s a kind of morning most of us know by heart. The alarm loses the fight, the inbox is already loud, someone needs a permission slip signed, and the 9 a.m. call just moved to 8:30. Somewhere between the hair tie and the car keys, you need coffee that works as hard as you do — no drive-thru line, no seven-dollar receipt.
That is exactly the morning Bizzy Cold Brew was built for. Certified organic, slow-brewed for 18 hours, and waiting in the refrigerated aisle of thousands of grocery stores, Bizzy has become one of the most trusted names in at-home cold brew. Behind it is Minneapolis founder and CEO Alex French — an entrepreneur who chased roughly 20 business ideas before landing on the one that stuck.
We went deep on the brand, the founder, and the bottles worth clearing fridge space for.
Two Best Friends, One Cramped Apartment, and a $5 Problem
The Bizzy story starts the way the best ones do: with irritation. In 2013, Alex French and his best friend Andrew Healy — nicknamed the “Bizzy brothers” back in middle school — were working corporate jobs in the Twin Cities and getting fed up with paying $5 for a coffee-shop cold brew. So they started brewing their own in a cramped apartment, using themselves as taste testers.
They were also training for a 24-hour obstacle race at the time, which tells you everything about the energy in that kitchen. The duo realized they had both the know-how and the product to shake up the category. They took Bizzy to Amazon early — one of the first cold brew brands there — and it quickly became the platform’s best-selling cold brew.
From there, Bizzy moved from screens to shelves. Today Andrew runs operations as co-founder and COO, Alex leads as CEO, and the company brews out of its own Minneapolis-area production facility.
Meet Alex French: The Founder Who Didn’t Stop at Idea No. 19
Alex studied entrepreneurship and finance at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then sharpened his consumer instincts as a marketing analyst at General Mills and a forecast analyst at Best Buy. He also spent time around 301INC, General Mills’ venture arm — where, by his own telling, he was something of a rogue.
What sets Alex apart is his relationship with failure. Before Bizzy there was a snow sports venture that didn’t make it, plus a long list of ideas that never left the whiteboard. Even inside Bizzy, not every bet landed: the brand pulled its original 2 oz. cold brew shots in 2019 to focus on the big multi-serve bottle. Six years later, Bizzy came back to the shot format with espresso — and this time it hit. That’s the founder lesson in one sentence: the idea wasn’t wrong, the timing was.
The accolades have followed. Alex and Andrew were named regional winners of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024, and in 2025 Bizzy landed on Bain & Company’s Insurgent Brands list. Alex’s pitch for his product is refreshingly blunt: “We’re the healthiest energy product on the market.” (Office culture, reportedly: no naps, drink coffee.)
Why It Tastes Different: The 18-Hour Ritual
First, a myth to clear up: cold brew is not iced coffee. Iced coffee is hot coffee poured over ice. Cold brew trades heat for time — and Bizzy gives it a lot of time.
Organic beans: USDA Certified Organic Arabica from Central and South America.
Coarse ground and micro-sifted for even extraction and consistent flavor.
Slow brewed for 18 hours — longer than most cold brews on the shelf — for strength without bitterness.
Cold filtered for a clean, crystal-clear pour.
Bottled in 100% recycled plastic, backed by a published sustainability report.
The result is smooth, naturally low in bitterness, and unsweetened — so you decide what goes in your glass. No sugar crash, no artificial anything.
The RB Edit: Our Bizzy Picks
Bizzy’s 48 oz. ready-to-drink bottles live in the refrigerated coffee section; the brew-it-yourself line ships straight to your door.
Light Roast — for the 5 a.m. club. Bright, citrus, floral. 302 mg caffeine per serving.
Medium Roast — the everyday ritual. Sweet, caramel, hazelnut. 250 mg.
Espresso Blend — for chocolate lovers. Chocolate, berry, brown sugar. 250 mg.
Breakfast Blend — brunch at home. Fruity, cocoa, toffee. 250 mg.
Italian Roast — for bold-coffee devotees. Molasses, cocoa, roasty. 250 mg.
Decaf Medium Roast — evenings and wind-downs. Nutty, chocolate, melon.
Double Espresso Shots — for your tote bag. Blonde, Medium or Dark roast. 100 mg each.
Our editor’s pick: the Double Espresso Shots. Bizzy’s newest launch is a pre-portioned, shelf-ready espresso you can sip, shoot, or mix — no added sugar, no artificial ingredients, no café required. It soft-launched in Minnesota co-ops in summer 2025 and grew to roughly 1,000 grocery stores nationwide by early 2026, including Sprouts Farmers Market. Keep one in your bag for the 3 p.m. slump, or shake it over ice with oat milk and vanilla for an instant at-home shakerato. Shop the Blonde, Medium and Dark roasts on Amazon.
For the Sunday-reset batch brewer: Smooth & Sweet Brew Bags (12 count) work like giant tea bags — drop them in a pitcher of water, steep overnight, done. Prefer to measure your own? The Dark & Bold Coarse Grounds run about $17.99 a pound at Walmart and carry a 4.9-star average from more than a thousand reviewers. Hosting the office coffee bar? Go big with the Smooth & Sweet Whole Beans (5 lb).
Three Ways to Make Bizzy Feel Like a Treat
Cold brew is a blank canvas. Bizzy’s own recipe library has a few we’re saving:
For hosting: the Citrus Cold Brew Soda — bubbly, bright, and a guaranteed conversation starter at brunch.
For the afternoon: the sweet-and-spicy Cowgirl Cold Brew.
For a slow Saturday: Cold Brew Banana Bread, because coffee belongs in dessert too.
Find more in the full Bizzy recipe collection and the how-to-brew guide.
A Gift-Worthy Pour for the Holidays
The season of hostess gifts, teacher gifts and Secret Santa budgets is here, and Bizzy makes an easy, thoughtful one. Our RB Gift Guide formula: a 4-count pack of brew bags, a glass pitcher or mason jar, a set of reusable straws, and a handwritten recipe card for that Citrus Cold Brew Soda. Under $30, and it actually gets used. Check Bizzy’s Bundle & Save page for multi-pack deals, and browse more ideas in the RB Gift Guide.
A Quick, Honest Word on Caffeine
Bizzy is strong — that’s the point — so pour with intention. One serving of most ready-to-drink flavors carries 250 mg of caffeine, and the Light Roast hits 302 mg. The FDA generally cites up to 400 mg a day as an amount not associated with negative effects for most healthy adults. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or caffeine-sensitive, check with your doctor, try half a pour cut with milk, or reach for the decaf.
Where to Buy Bizzy
In stores: use the Bizzy store locator. Bizzy has been reported at retailers including Target, Kroger, Costco and Publix; selection varies by store.
Espresso shots: Sprouts Farmers Market and select regional grocers, plus Amazon.
Online: Bizzy on Amazon, Walmart.com, and bizzycoffee.com.
Follow Bizzy
Instagram: @bizzycoldbrew
Facebook: Bizzy Coffee
YouTube: @bizzycoffee
LinkedIn: Bizzy Coffee
Website: bizzycoffee.com
Bizzy Cold Brew FAQ
Who founded Bizzy Cold Brew?
Best friends Alex French (CEO) and Andrew Healy (COO) founded Bizzy in Minneapolis in 2013.
How much caffeine is in Bizzy Cold Brew?
Most ready-to-drink flavors have 250 mg per serving; the Light Roast has 302 mg. The Double Espresso Shots have 100 mg each.
Is Bizzy Cold Brew organic?
Yes. Bizzy uses USDA Certified Organic Arabica beans, and its coffee is unsweetened.
What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?
Iced coffee is hot-brewed coffee served over ice. Cold brew steeps in cold water for hours — 18 for Bizzy — for a smoother, less bitter cup.
Where can I buy Bizzy Double Espresso Shots?
At Sprouts Farmers Market, select regional grocery stores, and on Amazon.
The Final Pour
Bizzy is what happens when two friends get annoyed enough to fix something — and stubborn enough to keep fixing it for over a decade. For the woman running a household, a business, a side hustle, or all three, it’s a quiet luxury: café-quality coffee, already brewed, waiting for you. It’s time to get Bizzy.
Have a brand, chef or founder worth the RB Food & Drink spotlight? Email [email protected].
