From Disaster Zones to Dugouts: The Story Behind Search Grounds’ 72-Hour Cuban Coffee Kit

How a retired firefighter turned a field-tested Cuban coffee ritual into a rugged 72-hour kit—with Gembah’s design-to-manufacturing support.

When retired Fire Captain, Urban Search & Rescue Medical/Water Rescue Specialist Miguel Ferrer spent decades responding to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and building collapses, one ritual helped his team stay grounded — Cuban coffee. What began as a simple moment of connection amid long, high-stress deployments evolved into a lasting symbol of camaraderie and calm. That same ritual would later inspire the creation of a product designed to bring comfort and connection to people anywhere — from disaster zones to dugouts.

Today, the Search Grounds 72-Hour Cuban Coffee Kit is a portable, all-in-one cafecito system built for the field — rugged, reliable, and ready to brew in almost any environment.With support from Gembah’s Direct-to-Manufacturing (D2M) process, Miguel transformed a field-tested, deployment-born idea into a scalable, precision-engineered coffee kit built for first responders, overlanders, and even professional athletes. What began as a personal ritual in disaster zones has evolved into a mission — “Bringing Good Coffee to Bad Places™.”

The Challenge: Turning a Field Ritual Into a Real Product

For more than 30 years, Miguel Ferrer served on the front lines of some of the toughest disasters imaginable — earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and building collapses — as a Fire Captain, Paramedic, and Urban Search & Rescue Medical and Water Rescue Specialist with both Florida Task Force 2 (FL-TF2) and the Federal Incident Support Team (IST).

Beyond the field, Miguel continues to serve as a Lead Federal Instructor for the Medical Team Training (MTT) program, teaching physicians and medical specialists how to operate effectively in austere disaster environments.

Through every deployment and classroom, one ritual stayed with him — Cuban coffee. From a small Pelican case packed with coffee supplies, Miguel would brew cafecito to bring people together, calm nerves, and check in on teammates — a brief moment of normalcy amid the chaos.

When colleagues urged him to turn that setup into a real product, Miguel hesitated.

“I never saw myself as a businessman. I was just the coffee guy. I didn’t invent coffee — I just made our ritual work in bad places.”

After retiring from the fire service, Miguel decided it was time. But he quickly realized that transforming a field-tested ritual into a scalable, manufacturable product — from component sourcing and design to production and packaging — required a different kind of expertise.

That’s when he turned to Gembah.

The Solution: Designing for Real-World Use

From the first conversation, Gembah’s team understood Miguel’s mission: preserve the authenticity of his kit while making it manufacturable and durable enough for any environment.

Together, we helped Miguel:

Translate his field setup into a detailed product specification, capturing everything from brew strength to heat sources.
Design a rugged, easy-to-use layout that allows users to make espresso-style Cuban coffee quickly and safely in any condition.
Source reliable, field-tested components—from compact brewers to custom foam inserts and hard-shell cases.
Develop scalable packaging and supply chain solutions to support future versions and accessories.

“Gembah didn’t try to change my idea. They ran with it and made it better. Every concern I brought to them was handled.” — Miguel Ferrer, Founder, Search Grounds

The Result: A Product with Purpose

The finished Search Grounds 72-Hour Cuban Coffee Kit is designed to deliver three days of strong, shared coffee in the most demanding environments. Every detail — from the layout of the brewer to the rugged durability of the protective case — was shaped by Miguel’s real-world experience in disaster zones and field operations.

The result isn’t just a coffee kit — it’s a tool for connection, composure, and morale, whether you’re on a hurricane response team, camping off-grid, or coaching a Little League game.

And the mission is already spreading far beyond its original roots.

“One of my kits ended up in a Major League dugout. Now they’re in both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins clubhouses. That’s when I realized how far this idea could go.” — Miguel Ferrer, Founder, Search Grounds

What’s Next for Search Grounds

Miguel’s vision doesn’t stop here. He’s already developing new kit sizes and accessories to reach broader audiences—from first responders to overlanders to everyday coffee enthusiasts.