Through cutting-edge bioscience, a new Danish start-up, Kaffe Bueno, unlocks the full potential of coffee. The world’s first coffee biorefinery has opened in Denmark.
“For every ton of oil we extract from coffee grounds, we save the atmosphere 56 tons of CO2. While protecting the environment and climate, we also utilize a much larger portion of coffee’s nutritional content. We must think in terms of better and more gentle utilization of nature’s resources,” says one of the three founders of Kaffe Bueno, Alejandro Franco.
9 billion kilos of coffee are consumed yearly worldwide and the residue is treated as waste, left to decompose in landfills, generating tons of harmful methane or, at best, burned for energy. “The yearly environmental impact of coffee waste decomposition is equivalent to 10 million car emissions. Furthermore, and most importantly, all the ingredients which we are aiming to replace are derived petrochemicals, synthetics with an energy-intensive manufacturing process or unsustainable and imported such as the case of palm oil,” says one of the other founders and CEO Juan Medina.
You can read more about Scandinavian coffee culture by clicking the image below.
Coffee is a highly bioactive plant filled with antioxidants, fatty acids, diterpene esters, and proteins – all of which are beneficial for human health, skin and well-being. But when brewing a cup of coffee, only 1% of the potential in the coffee bean is being utilized, making it one of the most undervalued resources in the world.
All the three founders are Colombian entrepreneurs who aim to challenge coffee as perhaps the world’s most underutilized raw material. “Attitude is all that matters,” says Juan and adds, “You need positive energy and a willingness to make it happen. If you see only limitations, of course you’re going to get stuck.”
You can read about Scandinavian coffee-making champions by clicking the image below.
The small company Kaffe Bueno aiming to change people’s relationship with coffee is based in Copenhagen. Its state-of-the art upcycles coffee-by products into high-performance ingredients for consumer and industry products. And makes sure that the other 99% of the potential is put to work.
Imagine washing your hands and hair with soap and shampoo made from coffee. Or how about applying lotion with coffee after a shower, using a foundation with coffee as part of your makeup, or eating a pastry baked with coffee. This is only a part of Kaffe Bueno’s business concept.
The three founders grew up around coffee in Colombia. “Coffee in Colombia, is way more than only a beverage. Denmark offered a very business-friendly environment, with a strong focus on sustainability and biotech, so we set up shop back in 2016,” explains Juan Medina.
World’s First Coffee Biorefinery Opened in Denmark, written by Tor Kjolberg