Beyond the Brew: Where Your Coffee Goes After the Cup

What happens to coffee after the brew?

It’s estimated that the world generates over 6 million tons of spent coffee grounds every year just from the brewing process alone. Most of it ends up in landfills, where it slowly decomposes and releases methane. That’s a lot of potential being tossed with the espresso puck of your morning pour over.

Every morning, we brew our coffee, toss the grinds, and move on. But that coffee in your V60? It’s not just a byproduct. It’s material. Nutrient-rich, aromatic, textured, and weirdly versatile. And with spring finally showing up (at least in our part of the world), there’s no better time to rethink what we call “waste.”

This week, we’re giving coffee grounds a second life. From easy home hacks (yes, your plants will love you) to fashion, fuel, and architecture…..here’s what happens after the pour in our industry.

The Houseplant Boost (Yes, Even for That Sad Basil)

Used coffee grounds contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals that make them ideal for certain types of plants—especially acid-loving ones like azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, and blueberries. Even your herbs can benefit in small amounts.

To use coffee as fertilizer…

1. Let the grounds dry out (to avoid mold).

2. Sprinkle a small amount around the soil or mix it into compost.

3. Don’t overdo it—coffee is still acidic and can mess with pH levels in excess.

Coffee Scrub

Coffee grounds have the perfect texture for exfoliating skin, and they come with natural oils, antioxidants, and a subtle scent that beats whatever’s in a plastic tube and micro plastics. The texture is gritty enough to slough off dead skin cells, but still gentle compared to salt or sugar scrubs.

Simple scrub recipe:

• 1 part used coffee grounds (dried out)

• 1 part coconut oil or olive oil

• Optional: pinch of brown sugar, cinnamon, or a few drops of essential oil (like lavender or peppermint)

Mix it, pop it in a jar, and you’re set. Use it in the shower - boom freshly brewed skin.

Outside of the Home - Big Ideas for Spent Grounds

Coffee Cups from Coffee Grounds

In Berlin, Kaffeeform is turning spent coffee grounds into beautifully designed reusable cups and accessories. They collect used grounds from local cafés, dry and blend them with plant-based polymers, then mold them into durable espresso cups, latte mugs, and takeaway-style travel cups.

It’s a true circular concept…. yesterday’s espresso becomes tomorrow’s cup. And the result isn’t just sustainable it’s pretty sleek!

Coffee You Can Wear

Taiwanese textile company Singtex uses spent coffee grounds to produce S.Café, a performance fabric found in activewear, outerwear, and footwear. The fabric is quick-drying, odor-resistant, and UV-protective—all thanks to the natural properties of coffee.

They’ve partnered with major brands like North Face and Puma, helping reduce synthetic material usage and giving used grounds a surprisingly fashionable second life.

Coffee Bricks

In Colombia, researchers at Universidad de los Andes are mixing dried coffee grounds with clay to create lightweight, insulating bricks for use in eco-conscious construction. The project is especially impactful in coffee-producing regions where grounds are abundant and affordable materials are scarce.

The result? A brick that’s not only practical but also reduces methane emissions and landfill volume while building something more lasting from what’s usually discarded.

Getting the Best of Both Worlds

We spend so much time thinking about how to get the best out of coffee—dialing in brew ratios, obsessing over bloom times, fine-tuning roast curves. But what if we paid just a little more attention to what happens after the cup?

In the age of climate action, minimal waste, and material rethinking, your spent coffee grounds aren’t garbage—they’re a resource. And whether you’re using them to nourish a houseplant or fuel a home, one thing’s clear:

Waste is just coffee you haven’t figured out what to do with yet.

From Waste to Revenue

Coffee grounds aren’t just a quirky upcycling idea—they’re becoming a legit business opportunity. As circular economy models gain momentum, spent coffee is being transformed from a disposal cost into a revenue-generating raw material.

Raw input cost: ~$0
Used coffee grounds are theoretically cost-free—widely available from homes, cafés, and roasteries. For early-stage startups and R&D labs, they offer an abundant, low-barrier material to work with.

High-value outputs:
Through relatively simple processing—like drying, oil extraction, or material blending—coffee waste is finding new life across industries from design and beauty to construction and textiles.

Consumer-driven demand:
More buyers are actively seeking products with circular or sustainable origins. And “made from coffee waste” isn’t just functional—it tells a ready-made story. It’s sensory, eco-conscious, and instantly relatable, giving brands a powerful edge in saturated markets.

In short: the coffee’s already been brewed. The real innovation is in who’s paying attention to what’s left behind—and turning it into something better.

Reading: Didn’t read much this week…been fully absorbed in The Masters. Rory McIlroy finally snagged the green jacket, closing out with the kind of calm precision that reminded everyone why he’s still one of the greats!

Watching: Guess the Drip with 2011 Canadian Barista Champion Josh Hockin – A sharp breakdown on flavour. Josh calls out the tasting notes with real clarity and drops an F-bomb-worthy surprise at the end with a callout you won’t see coming.

Listening: How to Suffer Less — Dan Harris sits down with Joseph Goldstein and Sam Harris for a grounded, refreshingly honest conversation about mindfulness, attention, and why we’re so good at making ourselves miserable

Brewing: A nice wine from Gut Oggau. A white wine known as Theodora. Funky, fresh and great on a Monday night ;)

respond with a photo of your brew bar or get creative with an AI generated scene and we’ll feature and share in an upcoming week of BTD

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. Help us push a few more kilometers through this week?

Want to join us as we hit the road? Let’s connect on Strava! or, join our Whoop group - just respond to the email and let’s grind together!