Coffee Based

Coffee Based is a startup based in the Netherlands and founded in 2017 that recycles used coffee grounds into products such as notebooks, cups and pots.

Every year 300 million kilograms of coffee grounds are produced in the Netherlands. However, most of them are not recycled and end up in landfills or incinerators.

The company makes two kinds of materials from used coffee grounds. Extrusion materials are suitable for making sheet materials using extruding production technology, and can be used in non-food applications.

Its other material can be used in injection moulding technology. It comes in food-grade and non-food varieties. The food-grade variety is heat resistant and dishwasher safe.

The company produces products from the materials such as notebooks. The cover is made of grounds from two cups of coffee while the paper is 100% recycled. It also makes indoor plant pots which have a life of two years as they are biodegradable.  Both products are available to purchase online. Cups made out of coffee grounds are available on a pre-order of at least 24 pieces. The company is also developing new products such as trays, furniture, wall panels, and lighting products. 

Coffee Based is also accepting ideas from potential clients and collaborators for new materials that be created from coffee grounds.

In collaboration with Netherlands-based coffee machine producer MAAS, the company also runs the Coffee Recycle Service to collect coffee grounds from companies and organisations in the Netherlands. It offers shopping credits which can be used to order new coffee products. The grounds are used to make products and also to produce mushrooms or combustion pellets.

In 2020, the cup produced by the company won the Horecava Innovation Award in the Concepts, Interior & Design category.