Coffee-roaster, wholesaler, and café Single O has partnered with waste management social enterprise
Reground in an effort to push for greater sustainability in the coffee space.
Under the partnership, Reground will collect the spent coffee grounds and chaff (the dried skin on a coffee bean, the husk, which comes off during the roasting process) from Single O’s customers. In turn, Reground diverts it back to the local community for numerous beneficial uses.
Single O and Reground’s partnership has been hailed for being the first-of-its-kind partnership who’s model has the potential to be a game-changer for the coffee industry if it is adopted more widely, as well as being a step forward the advocacy of a circular economy.
With debates still raging as to whose responsibility it is for providing these sustainable solutions – government, business and manufacturers still haven’t come to a conclusion on this issue – Single O is taking responsibility for their spent coffee grounds, and the methane they emit from landfill, by starting in Victoria and partnering with Reground to address it.
In ensuring the success of the model, Single O is supporting multiple cafes throughout Melbourne include Morning Market Prahan, Three Blue Ducks, Occident, WoodsYard, Tokyo Lamington, Sonny Ray, Est 1983, and Arthur St Deli.
“We’re excited about Melbourne because the passion for circularity is really evident, and Reground is the real deal,” Michael Brabant, General Manager of Single O, said. “Through this grassroots organisation grounds are collected and diverted to community gardens, private gardens, even Melbourne Zoo.”
And Ninna Larsen, Founding Director of Reground, said that the partnership with Single O will transform the way that Australians think about coffee “from farm to cup and back into the soil”.
“We believe that the roaster model that Single O is pioneering with Reground should become the new standard,” Larsen averred.
