Migros Coffee B: A Compostable Alternative to Traditional Coffee Capsules

Swiss retailer Migros has introduced Coffee B, a capsule coffee system that uses compostable coffee balls instead of traditional plastic or aluminum capsules. Launched in Zurich on September 6, the system features brown coffee balls wrapped in a thin, seaweed-based film that is colorless, odorless, and breaks down within weeks. The accompanying coffee machine will first launch in Switzerland and France, then Germany in 2023. This approach addresses the waste problem created by disposable capsule shells.

Capsule coffee has grown rapidly worldwide due to its convenience, with companies like Nestlé popularizing coffee machines that simplify coffee brewing. However, the used metal and plastic capsules generate significant waste. Migros aims to reduce this environmental impact by offering a compostable option. The use of algae-based packaging, also seen in edible water pouches, presents a new direction for cutting plastic in coffee packaging while maintaining the ease of capsule coffee preparation.

Coffee has become a mainstream daily beverage, and instant and capsule coffee occupy an important position among derivative categories thanks to their convenience. Companies such as Nestlé have promoted the popularity of capsule coffee machines, and capsule coffee has grown rapidly worldwide. But the disposable metal and plastic shells have created a large amount of waste. In response to this pain point, Swiss retailer Migros launched a brand-new capsule coffee system, Coffee B, in Zurich on September 6, replacing traditional capsules with brown coffee balls. The outer layer uses a colorless, tasteless seaweed-based film that can be composted after use and fully degrades within a few weeks. The accompanying coffee machine will be launched first in Switzerland and France, and enter Germany in 2023. Algae packaging has also appeared in recent years in scenarios such as edible water pouches, offering a new idea for reducing plastic in coffee packaging.

Coffee is a popular and well-loved beverage today, but the coffee category is now highly segmented. Among them, instant coffee and capsule coffee stand out among many derivative coffee products because of their extremely high convenience. Capsule coffee machines released by coffee companies such as Nestlé have made coffee brewing convenient, and capsule coffee has exploded in growth worldwide.

However, this has also brought a new problem: after each use, a pile of used metal and plastic waste is produced.

Swiss retailer Migros has offered a solution to this situation. On September 6 local time in Zurich, Migros presented one of the brand's coffee capsules at a launch event and announced the official launch of a brand-new capsule coffee system, Coffee B, to replace coffee capsules that generate thousands of tons of waste every year.

According to reports, the new coffee capsule brought by Migros looks like a small brown ball, and this small brown ball is wrapped in a thin, seaweed-based shell that is colorless and odorless.

Unlike many coffee capsules on the market today that contain plastic and aluminum shells, this coffee ball is compostable. After use, users can simply throw the used coffee ball into a compost bin or onto the land, and the coffee ball will completely degrade within a few weeks.

Migros said that CoffeeB, the coffee machine used with the coffee balls, will be launched first in Switzerland and France this year, and in Germany in 2023.

Using algae materials as packaging seems to have been a relatively innovative trend in recent years.

Much of the outer packaging we encounter today is made of plastic materials, and even our tea bags are no exception.

Some U.S. researchers found that plastic items such as takeaway coffee cups shed trillions of plastic particles after 20 minutes in hot water. Algae materials reduce this figure directly to zero.

Tea bags or coffee made with algae can come into contact with hot water in the cup without worrying about the release of plastic particles, while also adding some fiber and antioxidants to the drink. After processing, there is also no need to worry that the algae will add any extra flavor.

Algae material packaging had already entered ordinary people's lives before this. In 2019, at a marathon in London, the organizers distributed more than 30,000 edible water pouches to athletes. These were also small pouches made of seaweed-based film. The film is tasteless and edible, and even if discarded, it will biodegrade within four to six weeks, returning to nature without leaving any waste.

Technological development can always bring people new surprises. Do you think coffee balls will replace the position of coffee capsules?

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.