☕ Swedish project gives rescued coffee a second chance

13 tonnes of fine coffee that would otherwise have been discarded have now been consumed instead. It's Swedish coffee maker Löfbergs Lila and gas station chain Circle K who through a project known as "Räddat Kaffe" or "Rescued Coffee" created coffee varieties from coffee that would otherwise have been wasted in the roastery.

The coffee is not unfit for consumption in any way, but for various reasons, it can not be sold as usual. It could be due to damaged packaging or barcode that makes the package unfit for sale in stores. Or it may be that the degree of roasting or grinding did not turn out exactly as intended.

In the "Räddat Kaffe" project, Löfbergs Lila takes all this coffee and creates a new blend. The coffee blend is different each time depending on the types of coffee available. In the first blend, Löfbergs Lila used three different coffees from sustainably certified plantations in South and Central America and Southeast Asia. Together they became a dark roasted and full-bodied coffee.

The coffee has since been sold at Circle K's gas stations.

"All ways that can reduce food waste are welcomed with open arms and we are very happy to collaborate with Löfbergs in this initiative. We sell eleven million cups of coffee annually and take coffee very seriously. Therefore, the taste and the uniqueness of the coffee has been a big part of the process. In our test phase this spring, the coffee sold out faster than expected so the customers are really with us here", says Martin Stenberg, Senior Category Manager at Circle K.

In total, Löfbergs Lila reckons that Rescued Coffee has reduced emissions by 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide and that the use of pesticides has been reduced by 140 kilos.