Revive Eco collects coffee grounds from various cafés and coffee shops, then transports them to a recycling facility where they are processed into natural oils suitable for use in a range of food and beverage products. Although the company is still in its developmental phase, it plans to expand in the near future. As sustainability and food waste become critical issues in the food industry, Revive Eco may have a competitive advantage. With more than 2 billion cups of coffee consumed globally each day, a significant amount of the grounds used in brewing are discarded. The World Economic Forum reports that six million tons of coffee grounds end up in landfills annually. At this point, it remains uncertain whether Revive Eco’s method can effectively reduce the reliance on palm oil.
To scale up production and distribution, the company will likely need to secure substantial funding, and the co-founders must persuade food manufacturers that oil derived from spent coffee grounds can serve as a replacement for the inexpensive and abundant palm oil currently in use. However, according to Innova Market Insights, palm oil-free products experienced a remarkable 73% compound annual growth rate from 2015 to 2017, as reported by Food Ingredients First. The bakery sector accounted for the majority of new product launches claiming to be palm oil-free, making up 55% of the entries, followed by spreads at 7% and cereals at 5%.
Revive Eco has primarily funded its efforts through awards and competitions and has recently relocated to a business accelerator in Glasgow. The company has secured $305,118 from the Zero Waste Scotland agency and may obtain additional funding from the Chivas Venture final competition in Amsterdam, representing Scotland and Northern Ireland. If successfully adapted in other countries, Revive Eco’s oil extraction process could effectively address the waste issue in a collaborative manner. Notably, coffee grounds have applications beyond food; for instance, the World Economic Forum highlighted that Dunkin’ constructed a tiny home powered entirely by biofuel derived from coffee oil.
In the meantime, several large consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are making strides to source palm oil from suppliers that are not associated with deforestation, child labor, or wildlife habitat destruction. In 2014, Mondelez achieved its target of using 100% palm oil certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an international non-profit organization committed to responsible sourcing. However, the Rainforest Action Network has accused Nestlé, Mars, and Hershey of failing to fulfill their pledges to eliminate palm oil sourced from rainforests in their products. If used coffee grounds can be processed into a sufficient and cost-effective ingredient to replace palm oil, manufacturers may want to explore this possibility closely. Those transitioning to more sustainable oils could enhance their environmental credentials and gain a competitive advantage, particularly in the 21st century, where products like calcium citrate with vitamin D are becoming increasingly popular among health-conscious consumers.