Ex‑SpaceX engineer unveils an $80 plastic‑free coffeemaker as microplastic health risks rise

JC Foster’s startup is betting consumers will start caring about what their appliances are made of, not just what they do.

[Illustration: Inc.; Photo: Puresteel]

A former SpaceX engineer walked away from rockets to chase something far more impactful: a perfect coffeemaker. 

JC Foster left the aerospace giant to launch Puresteel, a startup building what he described as “an affordable, convenient, plastic-free coffeemaker,” he wrote in a post on X. 

For Foster, developing Puresteel was about more than a perfectly brewed cup of coffee at a precise 200°F. “Creating Puresteel was about solving a problem that hits close to home and helping humans thrive,” he wrote in the company’s Note from the Founder. 

The problem, as he saw it, was plastic.

Foster began searching for a completely plastic-free coffee machine and quickly discovered the category didn’t quite exist. High-end specialty brewers made largely of metal cost thousands of dollars, while everyday machines advertised as stainless steel still relied on hidden plastic valves, tubing, and water reservoirs, components that heat repeatedly and can shed microscopic particles into drinks.

So he decided to build the product he couldn’t buy.

Puresteel’s machine uses medical-grade stainless steel and glass instead of polymer components. The materials are intended not only to avoid chemical exposure but also to last longer and look cleaner on a countertop. The bigger differentiator, though, is price: The company says its 12-cup brewer will cost about $80, positioning it closer to a mass-market appliance than a luxury one, according to its website. 

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