>>

Max Feber's BRUW invention

makes cold-brewing coffee easy.

Roz Cooperman participated in America's Thanksgiving Parade as part of the

Cold-Brew Is Hot!

Teen seeks funding for
coffee-making invention.

Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer

T

he weather might be getting
Feber conceived the idea for BRUW
cold, but West Bloomfield
in a dual-enrollment course in part-
teen Max Feber, 17, thinks the
nership with Lawrence Technological
timing is hot to launch BRUW, a new
University. Students were required to
cold-brewing method for making coffee,
create a product prototype and pitch the
which he invented and which has a pat-
idea to the class. He spent a great deal of
ent pending.
time perfecting a prototype with
On Nov. 19, Feber launched
both primitive and professional
a Kickstarter campaign to fund
-le materials.
his invention. As of Dec. 2,
"I created countless proto-
BRUW enticed 87 backers con-
types ranging from using a 3D
tributing $4,195, making Feber
printer to making one at my
well on his way to reaching his
kitchen table with a hot glue
all-or-nothing funding goal of
gun:" Feber said.
$9,500 by Dec. 23. If BRUW
During the Kickstarter cam-
Max Feb er
hits this milestone, Feber will
paign, Feber is busy promoting
pour this startup funding into the manu- his idea through social media and get-
facturing and distribution phase. Feber
ting as much support as possible from
said BRUW would be made in Michigan
family and friends. Then, there is also
and retail online for $30.
the stuff that the typical high school
The BRUW filter is a double-sided
junior must juggle: class, studying, a
Mason jar lid with a filter in the center.
part-time job, college prep and extra-
The coffee is cold-brewed for 12-24
curricular activities.
hours and then filtered from one jar to
"Let's just say I am making great use
the other in a sealed, spill-free environ-
of a color-coded calendar these days,"
ment. And, for those who like it hot,
said Feber, a junior at Frankel Jewish
Feber said it could be concocted easily
Academy in West Bloomfield.
into a warm beverage: Just add a bit
Whether or not BRUW succeeds,
more water, heat and serve.
Feber said he has learned much from the
"The recipe for cold-brewed coffee has experience, and it will certainly shape
already been invented," said Feber, who
his path to choosing a college and career.
describes himself as a "self-proclaimed
"I will always be an entrepreneur; and
coffee snob." He prefers a medium grind
I am going to study business, no matter
and recommends 4 grams of water to 1
what:" Feber said.
gram of coffee ratio. "I wanted to create
Starting a business may be risky busi-
a method that was easy, inexpensive and
ness, but one thing's for sure: In his teen
required no electricity. You could enjoy
social circle, drinking cold-brewed coffee
the cold brew coffee on a camping trip
is hot. Still, he is chided.
or at school."
"Close friends joke with me and say I
This is not the budding entrepreneur's
might fail. But really, everyone is happy
first attempt at starting a business. There and excited for me. And no one has tried
was the at-home business with imports
to sabotage me ... yet:" *
from China, and he briefly tried his hand
at creating photomontages for bar and
To contribute to Feber's Kickstarter campaign, go
bat mitzvahs. This time, he believes that
to www.kickstarter.com/projects/feber/
BRUW will be a hit.
bruw-cold-brew-simplified.

24

ember

10.2015

Distinguished Clown Corps. Here she takes a break with her son, Jason.

Enjoying Life!

Roz Cooperman marks her health
milestone by joining the clown corps.

Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer

5

ome celebrate Thanksgiving
by sleeping in. Others get up
early to prepare an elaborate
feast. Producer/director Roz Lullove
Cooperman started a new tradition for
herself. Nearly 20 years to the day of
receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, she
decided to give thanks and celebrate life
by joining the ranks of the Distinguished
Clown Corps during the 2015 America's
Thanksgiving Parade presented by Art
Van.
Over a career that spans 25 years,
Cooperman's first company, the
September Moon Production Network,
produced appeal films for the United
Way of Southeast Michigan and other
nonprofit organizations. She also pro-
duced several music videos, including
one for Elton John in an airline hangar
at the Oakland County Airport. And she
was a catalyst for gathering community
partners to help produce The Passenger,
an important Holocaust opera, with the
Michigan Opera Theatre last month.
She also serves as a mentor to many
along their own professional journeys.
The last thing she sees herself as is a vic-
tim or a survivor.
"I did not suffer a crime or an attack
or a natural disaster; Cooperman said.
"Therefore, I do not like to call myself a
victim or survivor:'
Even early into her diagnosis,
Cooperman was open and eager to edu-
cate other women about breast cancer.
She worked with friend and filmmaker
Robbie Timmins, who documented
her battle with a series titled My Friend
Roz Has Breast Cancer on WXYZ TV.
It encouraged women to do self-breast
examinations when few were speaking
openly about the topic, said Coopermaris
longtime colleague and friend David

-

Solomon of Ferndale, who accompanied
her to hand out beads in the parade.
"I was so very touched by the special
way in which Roz chose to commemo-
rate the 20 years she has enjoyed since
her cancer diagnosis:' Solomon said. "It
sent an important message, and I was
delighted to support her:"
Media mogul that she is, Cooperman
documented each part of her transfor-
mation into "Madame Glamora" the
Clown on her Twitter feed — from don-
ning red pompoms on her sneakers at
4:15 a.m. to walking the parade route in
full makeup as one of 180 participating
in this year's Distinguished Clown Corps.
For three decades, more than 2,000
clowns have participated in the parade
and passed out beads and smiles as they
romped along the parade route.
Looking back at the experience,
Cooperman recalls the joy, excitement
and a little bit of mischief that goes along
with being a clown.
"It is amazing what you can get away
with when you are dressed as a clown:'
Cooperman said as she recalled popping
red noses onto the faces of unsuspecting
spectators both young and old along the
parade route.
Cooperman hopes that clown-
ing at the parade will become a new
Thanksgiving tradition for Detroit-area
women battling cancer. She knows she
as well as her sister, Maureen Lullove
D'Agostino, who also had breast cancer,
will be clowns for the day in next year's
parade.
"There is sheer joy in the transforma-
tion that takes place as a new persona
emerges when you become a clown,"
Cooperman said. "It was a spectacular
experience bringing joy to others. I'm
hooked and will be back next year!" *

