Grounds For Good does what it says on the tin! They collect waste coffee grounds from local establishments, diverting them from landfill, and transform them into luxury and innovative products for retail. Sales of non-alcohol items supports two National charities that provide help to individuals experiencing homelessness in Wales. The mission of the business is simple. To be: Good4theplanet, Good4thecommunity and Good4us
The concept of the business was the brainchild of retired Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Rosie Oretti. Rosie volunteered in a not-for-profit Cardiff café for 12 months and was astounded by the amount of coffee grounds generated and discarded. When COVID19 came along, she started to research what could be done with this waste product and was astounded by the breadth of applications. It soon became evident that waste coffee grounds are of value and still contain a powerhouse of natural, active ingredients.
The business launched with a trio of exfoliating coffee body scrubs and soon branched out into other home and lifestyle items, all harnessing the aroma, texture and density remaining in the grounds. Rosie then decided to experiment with the flavour from the waste grounds and as a result, a London Dry Gin, a Vodka and chocolate bars have since been developed. Many of her products are entirely unique to the market. To see the full range visit www.groundsforgood.co.uk
Rosie said ‘We currently run as a ecommerce business but also sell to a number of retail outlets including hotels; bars; farm shops etc.' We’ve found that fellow businesses are looking to provide their customers with innovative and unusual products that also support the ever important sustainability agenda’
Rosie hopes that her company will help educate individuals about the importance of reusing ‘waste’ where possible. Most people she has spoken to were not aware that 1000’s of tonnes of waste coffee grounds end up in landfill in the UK alone, each year. Under landfill conditions, the grounds generate methane and this is a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming. Alongside the product development above, Rosie has developed a coffee waste depository scheme in central Cardiff. This allows local cafes to drop their coffee waste. This is then transported to a local processing plant where the grounds are converted into green energy and biofertilizer for the local Welsh community. Just last month, 311 KW of green energy was produced which is enough electricity to run 311 laptops for 20 hours. Did you think your cuppa could do all that ?