Cofling
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Coffee is our daily main source of energy, but with a very high carbon footprint (farming, drying, transporting, roasting, elaboration but mainly disposal in landfills) and however, methods which elaborate this beverage extract less than 2%, discarding more than 98%. Cofling solves this problem through a circular economy model where we collect, process and revalorise spent coffee grounds in cosmetic and nutraceutical products, showing people that waste is not waste until we waste it.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
We consume 10 millions tons of coffee every year, being one of the most traded commodities around the world and it is one of our favourite products each morning. Neverthless, coffee has a very high carbon footprint, due to the fact that it is produced in countries from Africa or America that are hundreds of kilometres away from Europe, having to be transported to our countries, where it is roasted and transform into a beverage, ending up in landfills. The main problem that we have seen is the fact that with elaboration of a cup of coffee less than 2% of this product is being extracted, discarding 98% of the bean, producing 2.2 tons of CO2 emisions from every ton of coffee waste. For this facts, we believe that coffee has to be treated as it deserves and reduce the unsustainable model that we have nowadays. For this reason we created Cofling, the first biorefinery in Spain which implements a circular economy model in coffee industry, aplying an upcycling mindset and innovative biotechnological solutions for transforming spent coffee grounds into cosmetic and nutraceutical products. Our model business is a B2B model where we offer a free and personalised collection service to coffee shops, hotels and in general the coffee industry reducing their carbon footprint and differentiating them from their competitors. Then, we process and extract the coffee oil that remains inside this grains, obtainin 2 products, a coffee oil with excellent properties for either the cosmetic as an antioxidant and moisturiser agent or the alimentary industry as a flavour and the defatted coffee grounds (coffee fiber), which its main market is not only the food and beverages industry, but also the cosmetic as a cosmetic agent. With this services and products we offer this companies a reduction in their carbon footprint, innovation in their product and servicies, differentiation from their competence and also being capable of promote circular economy and upcycling in their products.
Key objectives for sustainability
About environmental sustainability our aim is transform the coffee industry, one of the biggest in the world, into a renewed one, where every company which wants to reduce their emissions could do it easily. With this objective we want to reach our main aim, that is showing society that waste is not waste until we waste it and for that reason we have to increase our vision about the possibility of changing how we treat our resources. For this reason, we believe that coffee is the perfect factor to change this mentality, because who does not drink coffee? This is the question, coffee is around us and from Cofling we want to share or thoughts with people around the world. Furthermore, we do not forget the emissions factor, we pretend to reduce for 2030 the 20% of the coffee that is discarded in Spain (30000 tons.) and also doing this across Europe and internationally.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Talking about quality of experience we difference between our spent coffee collecting service, the cosmetic and alimentary sector and their clients (society). For the collecting service we will bring a machine that will preserve spent coffee grounds in the coffee shop to make logistically feasible the collection and for that we have designed a machine that it is small and it does not take too much space. This also could bring us the possibility in the future to offer the service not only for the coffee shops but also for their clients. This machine could be used in hotels or even in offices, to make possible the recycling service for every company that would like revalorise their coffee. Then, to estimuulate this process we will dispose a sensor that will detect how much coffee has been processed for the collection service. About our products, Coffee Oil and Coffee Fiber, Coffee Oil will be offered in two different formats, one with caffeine, which can be used mainly in cosmetics and other type of coffee oil without caffeine, adressed to the cosmetic sector. About coffee fiber, it will be offered mainly to the alimentary sector, but also could be used in other applications, reason why to make easier this implementation in their products, we will bring different grind sizes, extrafine (alimentary industry), fine (cosmetic industry), coarse (materials industry). Then, we also could be adapt our products at our clients needings and also, we will offer a discount for coffee shops, hotels and other coffee waste providers to make their own products and we are also considering to make our own cosmetics products to offer them (we are validating this service).
Key objectives for inclusion
One of the main objectives that Cofling has is showing the value of revalorising to our society. To do this we want to connect Cofling with the people through our clients . To do this, in coffee shops, hotels and offices, we will offer information about which is the impact of drinking a cup of coffee that it is being upcycled,this could be do it with some information cards and also offering a seal that certificates each establishment that implements our technology. Then, we will inform this clients where they can found the products that are being elaborated with our ingredients, in such a way that we create a community where they can feel that their actions have a real impact. Another action that we would like to do is offering the oportunity to the people to discard their coffee in some bins that would be in there coffee shops, giving them a reward for doing this. Another action that we want to do is collaborate with the city governments to offer jobs to those people who can not find a stable job due to discrimination, age, sex or other facts, giving them the opportunity of working in a revolutionary company and experience in waste management and circularity.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
From our point of view we want to stimulate people, but mainly young people, to open their minds, to believe that is possible to recover our world and little actions like our project could help the environment but also the society, being more conscious about the environmental problem that we face. Coffee industry would be transformed, but we also believe that our mind needs a reset and what is better to do this than coffee, product that we drinks alone, with other people, in the morning, in the evening and also that we enjoy. This would create a community around coffee where clients, employees, people and governmental organisations would participate, offering the opportunity of feel our project as theirs.
