There’s a lot of waste that comes in turning a seed into a cup of coffee halfway around the world. In recent years, the coffee industry has explored alternative uses for the byproducts of coffee production, often as a means of providing alternative revenue sources for producers. Cascara tea and coffee flour, for instance, use the fruit of the cherry, which would be unable to otherwise produce any revenue. And now a new Kickstarter has found a use for coffee husks—turning them into coffee cups!
The HuskeeCup is “the first solution of its kind to address [the] issue” of monetizing the tons of organic material left over after harvest, according to the Kickstarter.
By using coffee husk in the creation of HuskeeCup, we are recycling hundreds of tonnes of waste material from the production of coffee. Our dream is to realize sustainability for cafes and home users while achieving zero waste at the farm. HuskeeCup is the first step in fulfilling this mission.
More than just a means of utilizing a coffee byproduct, the HuskeeCups are quite handsome as well. According to the Kickstarter, they are reusable, recyclable, chip and crack resistant, and able to withstand the abuse of cafe use. They have also been “engineered to keep your coffee hotter for longer.”
The HuskeeCup has thus far been put through the ringer during the 2017 US Barista Championship, when Wormhole Coffee barista Eli Ramirez used them during his routine. I went ahead and asked Ramirez about the feel of the vessels for this article—it’s the level of journalism I know you demand of us here at Sprudge Media Network. “Holding the HuskeeCup is one of its best features,” Ramirez told me. “The fins on the outside make sure all of the heat stays in, while the outside stays cool. Plus, it has a really unique texture from being constructed of coffee husk.”
In its first day alone, HuskeeCup’s Kickstarter nearly doubled its $20,000 AUD ($15,000 USD) goal. They are now eyeing the first of their two stretch goals: a second color option at $60,000 AUD (the prize for their second stretch goal remains a mystery). Current options start at $45 AUD ($34 USD), which will earn the backer a four pack of the six-ounce mugs and saucers.
For more information, visit HuskeeCup’s Kickstarter page. And buy a few cups. You have to admit, they are pretty sleek.
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.
*all media via HuskeeCup
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