bio-bean is 10 years old! It’s hard for us to believe it, and we’ve come such a long way since the founder had his ‘eureka’ moment over a cold americano back in 2013.

We’re now a team of 31 experts in coffee recycling, we have 4 different product lines all made from recycled spent coffee grounds, we work with major retailers across the UK as well as businesses across a variety of industries around the world, and we’re a Certified B Corporation.

It’s been one incredible journey, complete with highs, lows, side steps, and forward strides. Here’s a brief look back at what we’ve been up to since the beginning…

2013

bio-bean was founded by Arthur Kay, then an architecture student at University College London.

2014

We won the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge. This was our first significant funding and it enabled us to get our research and development work underway.

2015

We signed the lease at our site in Cambridgeshire (now our headquarters), built the first iteration of our recycling facility, and started to grow our team.

We took our first deliveries of spent coffee grounds (from First Mile in London) and dove into trial and error of processing the grounds. We were drying the grounds using a trailer dryer and mixing them with a cement mixer!

This was also the year we trialled pellet manufacturing on a small scale.

2016

Coffee Logs was born! We launched Coffee Logs into the solid fuels market, boosted by funding we won from the Virgin Media Business VOOM award (for the grow category).

We also launched coffee collection services with our first national-scale coffee recycling partner, Costa Coffee – a partnership that continues to this day.

2017

Coffee Logs found their place on Morrisons shelves – our first major retail partner – and sales took off.

2018

We undertook our first carbon footprint assessment, using Avieco (formerly Carbon Smart), which demonstrated the positive carbon impact we have through processing spent coffee grounds.

This was also the year we installed our biomass boiler and large-scale dryer at our facility, which allowed us to move to drying spent coffee with a more sustainable fuel.

And in 2018 we opened a dedicated R&D lab in Welwyn Garden City, where our development team began focusing on extracting flavours from the spent coffee grounds.

2019

We launched our first natural flavour ingredient into the food & beverage industry following a joint development agreement with one of the top three ‘flavour and fragrance houses’ globally.

We gained our ISO14001 accreditation.

And we joined the European WaysTUP! Horizon 20:20 partnership exploring sustainable coffee oil extraction.

2020

Covid hit, and with businesses shut down across the country, we had no spent coffee coming in. So a major win for us was making it through the pandemic that year, and with increasing sales of Coffee Logs throughout that winter season.

We also took the opportunity to extend our dryer and increase its drying capacity – meaning we can recycle even more spent coffee grounds.

We became a Certified B Corporation in 2020, joining the global movement of using business as a force for good.

And we won the Insider Media Made in Central & East England Awards for our natural coffee flavour ingredient in the Food & Drink Award category.

2021

We launched Inficaf and established sales of our sustainable raw material in various markets.

We gained our ISO9001 accreditation and were named a Best for the World B Corp for our environmental impact.

We moved our lab and London office up to our headquarters in Cambridgeshire so we could all collaborate under one ‘roof’.

Out in our factory we upgraded much of our equipment and added an automated bag packer, much to the team’s relief.

2022

We updated our carbon footprint assessment following all the changes in our factory, this time with Eunomia Research & Consulting. The report shows that for every tonne of spent grounds we recycle into our various bio-products, we save 187kg of CO2e.

We were again named a Best for the World B Corp for our positive environmental impact, and we published our first ever impact report.

We also won a position for Inficaf on the #21toWatch Top21.2022 list for Things 2022, and we won the Made in Britain Impact Awards for Innovation of the Year (again, for Inficaf).

2023

bio-bean is now 10 years old!

Since starting spent coffee recycling, we’ve recycled nearly 40,000 tonnes of spent coffee grounds, saving just under 9,000 tonnes of CO2e. This amount would take roughly 408,500 trees to process over the span of a year. That’s a 743-acre forest!

We’re extremely proud of everything we’ve achieved over the past 10 years, and particularly proud of our team. Without them, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today.

We have ambitious growth plans over the next 10 years. But first, we’ll take a brief pause to celebrate our 10th birthday.

There has been a lot of discussion in the news this week about the UK government’s new Environmental Improvement Plan. Particularly noisy is the fiery debate the plan has stoked regarding fines for domestic fires.

That fiery debate is spreading a lot of misinformation, and given we manufacture and sell Coffee Logs, we’d like to shed light on some of the facts…

The UK government is aiming to reduce air pollution from fine particulate matter

Air quality in the UK has improved significantly over the last few decades, but it still presents the greatest environmental risk to human health, particularly for those already vulnerable.

According to the Environmental Improvement Plan, data from 2020 indicates that, in the UK, emissions from the home, agriculture, industry and transport combined contributed 85% of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) emissions into the air. And fine particulate matter is one of the five biggest sources of air pollution in the UK.

So the plan sets out specific targets to help reduce fine particulate emissions from these sources.

Decreasing particulate emissions from domestic burning

To tackle emissions from the home, the government is aiming to better manage domestic burning, which it says is the biggest source of emissions of fine particulate matter, and more so in urban areas where housing is denser.

The government already banned the burning of wet wood and coal back in May 2021, and rightly so, for these are materials that emit high concentrations of fine particulates. In fact, burning a dry wood log can reduce emissions by 50% compared to a log which has not been dried.

Along with that ban, they also put limits on sulphur content and smoke emissions from ‘manufactured solid fuels’, or MSFs. These are primarily fuels that are deemed ‘smokeless’. Yet unfortunately, these types of fuels are most often made from anthracite (coal) or paraffin wax – both of which are hugely destructive to the environment.

Is the government banning domestic fires in England?

To be clear, the government is not banning domestic fires in England. Nor are they considering it. They are also not considering a ban on outdoor burning (bonfires, barbecues, firepits, etc).

However, the Environmental Improvement Plan does lay out some further steps the government plans to take to continue reducing particulate emissions from domestic burning. These steps include:

• Reducing the limit from 5g of smoke per hour to 3g of smoke per hour in new stoves within Smoke Control Areas. Many appliances in production already meet this new target.
• Extending the solid fuels legislation to fuels burned outside. Note this will not affect traditional fuels used for barbecues, such as charcoal.
• Driving – through public education campaigns – a shift away from more polluting appliances like old stoves and open fires, to newer, more efficient appliances which meet the new emission standards, like clearSkies certified stoves.

Will my local council fine me for burning a fire in my home?

There are a lot of rumours flying around about the £300 fine local councils could give to residents deemed to be emitting too much smoke from their chimney.

The government is trying to encourage people toward installing more efficient appliances and adopting better burn practices with less polluting fuels. And this is a good step forward to improving our overall impact on the environment.

So, if you live in a Smoke Control Area and are burning anything other than smokeless fuels on an open fire, you will likely be producing too much smoke for that area, and your neighbours and local council may have something to say about it.

However, if you live outside a Smoke Control Area and you burn low-moisture fuels, like Coffee Logs or well-seasoned wood logs within a modern, EcoDesign wood-burning or multi-fuel stove, you will find it difficult to emit a disproportionate amount of smoke.

That said, there are still some best burn practices to maintain to reduce any smoke coming from your fire.

What are some best burning practices to limit my chimney smoke?

First, keep both your appliance and your chimney clean, well-maintained, and regularly inspected by a certified professional. The Stove Industry Alliance and HETAS are good sources for finding someone appropriate.

Second, make sure you’re using the right fuel for your appliance. And check with your local council if you’re in a Smoke Control Area, as this will also determine which types of fuel you’re permitted to burn.

When it comes to building your fire, light plenty of kindling and natural firelighters first to establish a hot flame. Only once your appliance and flue are warmed up should you add your solid fuel, such as Coffee Logs, to the fire.

Finally, use your vents! If you’re at a loss as to which vent is which, and when to open them or not, Greg Penn (aka Man With a Hammer) gives a great tutorial.

 

We welcome the government’s moves to curb air pollution. Modern appliances and cleaner burning fuels are important factors in the broader efforts to decarbonise, modernise and increase efficiencies toward a more sustainable future.

Each year we look back and review our triumphs and our challenges over the last 12 months. This year, there were some obvious ones that stood out…

1. In January of this year we made the decision to remove the thin outer wax coating on Coffee Logs, making them even more sustainable. We’d used the coating as a protection layer to help maintain the logs’ integrity during transport to stores and homes, but knew we needed a more sustainable alternative. We’d searched for something suitable for years, and with no success decided to remove the wax layer all together. And by doing so we reduced our carbon footprint by 6%!
2. Also early in the year we published the results of our new carbon lifecycle analysis, performed by independent, third-party firm Eunomia Research & Consulting. Their analysis shows that our overall carbon footprint is a net negative of -187kg CO2e per tonne of spent grounds. It also shows that when it comes to spent coffee grounds, our recycling solution really is the best disposal option. We save 228% more in greenhouse gas emissions compared to anaerobic digestion!
3. Inficaf won recognition as a Top #21toWatch ‘Thing’ in 2022 in the cofinitive #21toWatch awards. And we recently won the Made in Britain Innovation of the Year award for the material. The judges remarked that we “stood out for actively choosing to engage across the industry to see how [we] could extend the use of [our] product and help other businesses address the negative impacts of their own products.”
4. We partnered with global masterbatch compounder, Colloids, who have used Inficaf to create a coffee-based copolymer called BeaNused. By using Inficaf, they’re able to reduce the amount of conventional fillers and petroleum-based compounds typically used to create plastics. The coffee polymer has gone on to create reusable cups, signage, bottle caps, and more, with additional products in research and development.
5. We also partnered with Lessonia, a global cosmetics designer and manufacturer. They’ve used Inficaf to create a coffee ground exfoliator for cosmetics and body care products, displacing the need for grounds from virgin green coffee beans.
6. Coffee Logs have grown from strength to strength as an efficient, truly sustainable solid fuel. We added Tesco and ASDA to our list of retailers and now the logs are flying off the shelves in 4 major supermarkets, 2 DIY retailers, and hundreds of garden centres and independent shops across the UK.
7. Our commitment to the environment helped us gain recognition for the second year running as a Best for the World B Corp. This means we scored in the top 5% in the Environment impact area out of all global B Corps in our size group.
8. The environment is just one of our stakeholders. In October we published our first-ever impact report, highlighting some of our recent activities to continually improve our impact not just on our planet, but on people too.

Looking ahead to 2023

We can deliver our greatest impact by doing more of what we do best – processing greater volumes of spent coffee grounds. So one of our key areas of focus for the next year is exactly that.

We’re aiming to increase our average annual processing volume to 10,000+ tonnes. We have the capacity to do so already.

Inficaf is continuing to draw interest from the plastics and packaging industries, the cosmetics industry, automotive friction, foundry, and more. And given it has up to a 17-fold increase in greenhouse gas emissions savings potential compared to the alternative standard disposal method, another key area of focus for us is selling more of this material.

In 2023 we’ll also go through the B Corp recertification process, aiming for a score of above 110.

And as we always say, we’re nothing without our dedicated team. So internally, we’ll be focusing on continued development and upskilling.

We’ve a lot to be excited about moving into 2023. Here’s to a new year of creating even more sustainable impact!

To keep up with all our news, follow us on LinkedIn!

Read how we use our business as a force for good in our bio-bean Impact Report

Press Release: bio-bean recognised for the second year running as a Best For The World™ for exceptional impact on the Environment

Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire, UK, 13 July 2022 — bio-bean, the world’s expert in recycling spent coffee grounds, has once again been named a Best for the World™ B Corp™ in recognition of its exceptional positive impact on the environment. Best for the World is a distinction granted by B Lab to Certified B Corporations (B Corps) whose verified B Impact Scores in the five evaluated areas — community, customers, environment, governance, and workers — rank in the top 5% of all B Corps in their corresponding size group (10-49 people).

bio-bean earned this honour for the second year running because of its impact business model of recycling spent coffee grounds and transforming them into a variety of sustainable bio-products. The Cambridgeshire-based company works with existing waste management and logistics infrastructure to divert businesses’ spent coffee grounds from traditional disposal methods like landfill, anaerobic digestion, and incineration. The team then processes and upcycles the grounds, ready for reuse in the company’s various coffee-derived bio-products.

Since founding, bio-bean has processed just under 32,000 tonnes of spent coffee grounds. And as it turns out, their solution of recycling spent grounds into bio-products is better for the environment than all the other standard disposal methods (landfill, anaerobic digestion, and incineration). In fact, they save 228% more in greenhouse gas emissions versus spent grounds going to anaerobic digestion.

George May, Managing Director of bio-bean, had this to say of the company’s Best for the World recognition:

“Being recognised as a Best for the World B Corp in the Environment impact area for a second year is a huge honour for us. To be among the top 5% of more than 5,000 B Corps globally, and one of only 6 UK companies to be honoured for positive environmental impact is something we’re extremely proud of.

Environmental sustainability is at the heart of what we do, but we’re also focused on continuous improvement, including in our day-to-day operations. We will continue collaborating with the global B Corp community and others to improve and positively impact all our stakeholders, in every impact area.”

Every year, Best for the World recognizes the top-performing B Corps creating the greatest positive impact through their businesses. More than a badge of honour, Best for the World provides an opportunity for recognised companies to share knowledge, learnings, and best practices with the B Corp community and businesses outside of the community to encourage innovation and transformation across the business sector. The full lists are available at bcorporation.net.

The Best for the World recognition is administered by B Lab, the global non-profit network that certifies and mobilises B Corps, which are businesses that meet high standards of positive social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Today, there are more than 5,000 B Corps across 80 countries and 155 industries, unified by one common goal: building an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system.

“Each Best for the World edition is an opportunity to raise the bar for how businesses can and should operate to create real and lasting positive impact for their workers, customers, communities, and the environment,” said Dan Osusky, Head of Standards and Insights at B Lab Global. “While no company is perfect and even the best companies can and should continue to strive to improve, the B Corps recognised as Best for the World can provide us all — standards setters, B Corps, non B Corps, and sustainability advocates — with inspiration on what true leadership in business can look like to make progress on addressing our current global challenges.”

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service, it assesses the overall social and environmental impact of the company that stands behind it. To achieve B Corp Certification, a company must meet a score of at least 80 points on the B Impact Assessment, an evaluation of a company’s positive impact, and pass a risk review, an evaluation of a company’s negative impact; change their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders; and exhibit transparency by allowing information about their B Corp Certification performance to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.

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About bio-bean: bio-bean Limited is the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds. Based in Cambridgeshire, bio-bean takes spent coffee grounds from businesses large and small across the UK and transforms them into value at an industrial scale, giving new life to a material previously considered waste. bio-bean manufactures sustainable products from spent coffee grounds for a range of markets, both consumer and industrial, saving businesses money, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to the circular economy. For more information on bio-bean, visit www.bio-bean.com.

About B Lab: B Lab is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, our global network creates standards, policies, tools, and programs for business, and we certify companies — known as B Corps — who are leading the way. To date, our community includes 400,000 workers in over 5,000 B Corps across 80 countries and 155 industries, and more than 200,000 companies manage their impact with the B Impact Assessment and the SDG Action Manager. B Lab has created and led efforts to pass over 50 corporate statutes globally that enable stakeholder governance, with over 10,000 companies using the legal framework. To learn more and join the movement, visit www.bcorporation.net.

B Lab Contact: press@bcorporation.net

We recently undertook a carbon footprint assessment through Eunomia Research & Consulting to determine our environmental impact.

With the urgent state of our climate emergency, it isn’t enough for businesses to simply say they’re eco-friendly, sustainable, or making a positive impact. People want to (and deserve to) know exactly what that means. And, rightly so, businesses must increasingly show evidence for environmental claims.

This includes us at bio-bean.

In 2021 Eunomia gathered data to create a carbon footprint analysis model for us. They included information on every step of our process and manufacturing, from the transport of spent coffee grounds to our recycling facility to the end usage of our highest selling products.

Our carbon impact

Eunomia’s results show that our total carbon footprint is -187kg CO2e for every tonne¹ of spent grounds that we process. It’s a net negative impact, which is very much a positive! It basically means that for every tonne of spent coffee grounds we upcycle, we save 187kg CO2e versus those grounds being disposed of in traditional ways.

What is CO2e? It means carbon dioxide equivalent, which is a unit of measurement used to compare the emissions of various greenhouse gases. It’s a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints.

So, what does 187kg CO2e look like? It’s the equivalent of the emissions produced by 464 miles driven by an average car, or 22,747 smartphones charged. We save that much for every tonne of spent grounds we upcycle… and to date we’ve processed just under 32,000 tonnes of spent coffee grounds.

As it turns out, our solution of recycling spent coffee grounds into our various sustainable bio-products is better for the environment than all the other standard disposal methods (landfill, anaerobic digestion, and incineration). In fact, we save 228% more in greenhouse gas emissions versus spent grounds going to anaerobic digestion.

The carbon footprints of our products

And when it comes to the individual footprint of our primary products, Coffee Logs and Inficaf, you can see below that we save up to 1,030kg of CO2e for every tonne of spent grounds we process. This figure includes our processing and manufacturing and the end use of the product.

There really is no more sustainable solution for managing large volumes of spent coffee grounds than our recycling solution here at bio-bean. And with such significant value still present within the grounds after they’ve been brewed, it’s a shame to waste their potential by wastefully discarding them.

We give spent coffee grounds a second life. And even better, it’s easy for businesses to get on board.

We help businesses reduce their greenhouse gas emissions

Spent coffee grounds are a naturally clean by-product, segregated at source by baristas and bean-to-cup machines, and are readily identifiable. From the barista preparing the coffee and depositing the used grounds into specified bags or bins, through collections via your business’s waste management or logistics company, it’s a simple process with potentially high impact in reducing your greenhouse gas emissions.

The numbers speak for themselves. Not only are we the world’s largest coffee recycling company, we’re also best for the environment when it comes to disposal of spent coffee grounds.

Get in touch today to find out more about our spent coffee recycling and our coffee-derived bio-products, including Inficaf, our natural flavouring extract, and our solid fuels.

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¹ Based on output of 90% Coff­ee Logs and 10% Inficaf (displacing polypropylene). As Inficaf sales grow, so too will our emissions savings.

² Includes processing, manufacturing and end use of product.

³ Based on 50% mined and 50% synthetic calcium carbonate.

Our latest product to market, Inficaf, has been named as one of the top #21toWatch for 2022 by cofinitive. The award recognises the People, Companies, and the ‘Things’ that they create that are setting the standards in innovation and entrepreneurship across the globe.

Our MD, George May, and our Head of Commercial, Matt Keniston, received the award yesterday evening during a bespoke event where Matt had the opportunity to present to a specially selected audience of investors, professional services, entrepreneurs, developers, and other relevant businesses.

Matt accepted the award on behalf of bio-bean and spoke about why Inficaf is a sustainable materials solution for innovative product development. Inficaf is made from upcycled spent coffee grounds collected from UK coffee shops, office blocks, transport hubs and instant coffee manufacturers. It’s a consistent, yet versatile material that reduces overall carbon emissions, and has applications in plastics, automotive friction, cosmetics, building materials, and more.

Matt said: “We are proud that Inficaf has been included in the top #21ToWatch list, as the recognition will help us to raise awareness of the product, and ultimately lead to greater sustainable impact.”

cofinitive’s founder Faye Holland said: “We are delighted that bio-bean has been named in our Top21.2022 #21toWatch list. The accolade is well deserved, and we look forward to following their progress.”

“Over the past 12 months we’ve continued to collate hundreds of submissions in response to our #21toWatch campaign and the criteria we set was pretty tough: each submission, whether it was a company, individual or ‘thing’ that they create, had to demonstrate a set of attributes: Innovation; Challenge; Influence; Viability; and Memorability. Our independent judges all agreed that all our winners have the potential for huge impact on a personal, company or product basis”.

Click here to find out more about Inficaf, or get in touch.

To learn more about the cofinitive #21toWatch campaign, head to the cofinitive website.

The arrival of March brings this year’s B Corp Month, and as a Certified B Corporation^TM, we’re taking part in the month-long campaign to help raise awareness of how the B Corp community is using business as a force for good. Throughout the month, we’re inviting you to see what goes on #BehindTheB.

Being a B Corp is something we’re really proud of, so for the next 30 days, we’ll be sharing what that means to us and why it matters, now more than ever.

What is a B Corp?

Certified B Corporations are a select group of for-profit companies using the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

B Corps are verified, through a rigorous assessment process, to have met the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Essentially, being a B Corp means valuing your workers, customers, environment, and community as much as your profits — and having corporate governance that keeps those values in place.

The B Corp Movement is growing globally and rapidly. There are now over 4,000 B Corps in the world, and over 600 here in the UK.

What does being a B Corp mean to us?

B Corp recognises businesses that are working to bring about change and operate in a way that seeks to benefit the wider community, whilst it also provides a framework for continuous improvement. For us, the ethos behind B Corp is aligned with what we are trying to achieve at bio-bean.

We believe that businesses are the best vehicles for driving change and delivering impact (both social and environmental). We consider that for a business to be successful it must be more than simply profitable. So to become a B Corp is a fantastic recognition of the business that the team has built, as well as being a clear marker for the way in which we will operate going forward.

Since we gained B Corp status in October 2020, we’ve been working on a variety of improvements. We’ll be sharing some of these throughout this month, and later this year we’ll be publishing our first B Impact Report.

For now, stay tuned to our social media profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) throughout March to find out what’s #BehindTheB!

Catch us in two RE:TV episodes on Amazon Prime: ‘Recycling Coffee’ and ‘A Circular Future’

Well, when we did our last year in review 12 months ago, we certainly didn’t think at the time that Covid would still be putting a damper on everything. Yet here we are… But despite the many ups, downs, and twisted turnarounds we’ve all experienced, for us, 2021 has been a year of growth in many ways. 

Looking back, here are a few of our 2021 highlights we’re particularly proud of… 

January

We started off the year with a featured article in Perfumer & Flavorist, in which we highlight the opportunity for brands to make an impact by upcycling materials otherwise considered waste.  

February

In February, we announced our supporting partnership for WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), to actively support implementation of their UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. 

A key objective of the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap is to have the UK’s largest 250 food businesses measuring, reporting and acting on food waste by 2026. So, by signing a commitment to the Roadmap, we’re committed to helping these businesses do just that. 

March

Every year in March the B Corp community runs a month-long campaign to celebrate and champion what it means to be a Certified B Corporation. The theme this year was Better Business and George, our MD, wrote a blog to share his thoughts on what it means to be a better business. 

One of our key activities during B Corp Month was signing up to support the Better Business Act (BBA). The BBA is the campaign, led by B Lab UK, to change UK law to make sure that businesses are required to put balancing people, planet and profit at the heart of their purpose and the responsibility of their directors. 

For more information on the BBA, and to get involved, visit betterbusinessact.org.  

April

April saw the end of our Coffee Logs season. We achieved record sales across the winter months, getting our fire logs made from spent coffee grounds out to more homes, displacing more coal and imported logs than ever before.  

May

A member of our ops team, Tom, had his moment in the spotlight when he featured in C4’s ‘Food Unwrapped’ alongside Amanda Byram! Our segment aired as part of the episode titled ‘Food Unwrapped Does Takeaways’. The episode is available to watch on playback on Channel 4’s website. 

June

In June, Costa Coffee – the Nation’s Favourite Coffee shop – pledged to continue recycling its spent coffee grounds with us for a further two years, building on our successful partnership that started in 2016. 

Rather than sending the grounds to a landfill, around 1,500 Costa Coffee stores segregate their spent coffee grounds before sending them to our recycling facility. 

July

This summer we launched Inficaf: upcycled spent coffee grounds with infinite possibility. Inficaf is a versatile, sustainable raw material for innovative product development in industries such as (bio)plastics, cosmetics and friction/abrasion. As the world increasingly demands sustainable alternatives, Inficaf displaces virgin or synthetic materials for new commercial and industrial applications. 

To discuss using Inficaf in your products, get in touch with us today. 

Another major highlight for us in July was being recognised as a Best for the Environment B Corp for 2021! The Best for the World are B Corps whose scores reach the top 5% of all B Corps worldwide in one or more of the five impact areas assessed towards the certification. 

At bio-bean we were recognized, out of more than 4,000 B Corps worldwide, for our efforts in the Environment area. It’s a recognition we’re extremely proud of, but our efforts don’t stop there. With sustainability at the heart of everything we do, we’re continuously working to improve the way we do things, and therefore our impact on the environment as well as our workers and the wider community. 

September

In September we closed an investment round, raising funds to support further automation and operational efficiencies in the factory. 

October

The arrival of autumnal weather meant Coffee Logs hit retailers’ shelves again across the UK. And this year, our planet-friendly fire logs powered by coffee hit Tesco shelves for the first time ever. After just 4 seasons of selling Coffee Logs, we’re proud to now be stocked in 3 major supermarkets, along with 2 major DIY retailers, several garden centre chains and hundreds of independent shops across the nation. 

December

We’ve finished off the year with Inficaf showcased in a piece of wall art in McDonald’s new net zero location in Shropshire. We’re proud to have worked with them to help demonstrate sustainable innovations possible in the hospitality sector and others.    

Of course, we’ve not been spared from Covid disruptions. Indeed, we don’t believe any business has. Despite ongoing Covid complications, since the 1st of January we’ve recycled 6,400 tonnes of spent coffee grounds from hundreds of businesses across the UK, and thus have saved over 2,700 tonnes of CO2e emissions. This amount is equal to 6.8 million road miles driven by an average car!  

We’re extremely proud of how each one of our staff members have banded together to fill in gaps, keep things running smoothly, and, most importantly, help keep one another safe. Our team are outstanding in their dedication and willingness to pitch in and be flexible, and they deserve this recognition.  

Looking ahead to 2022

We’re brewing up some exciting things for 2022, including new coffee collection collaborations coming to the fore, and some exciting product innovations in the pipeline with a few of our partners.  

We’ll also be publishing our first B Impact Report later in the year, highlighting the steps we’ve taken to boost our impact since our certification to B Corp status in October 2020. 

If you’re interested in partnering with us, whether through recycling your business’s spent grounds, innovating with Inficaf or selling Coffee Logs, don’t hesitate to get in touch.