Coffee Elf turns spent coffee grounds into bio-based materials and cosmetic ingredients, positioning itself as the U.S.'s first coffee-based biorefinery. Its “Coffee Bio-Alchemy” process uses solvent-free extraction and repurposes the remaining fibrous biomass for products such as sustainable textiles, helping divert coffee waste into new uses across beauty, fashion, and wellness. Based in New York, the company describes its circular-economy work as a way to support women, communities, and nature.
UnspentBorn from coffee-chemistry research at The Ohio State University in 2016, Unspent turns spent coffee grounds into COPOXEE™, a renewable plasticizer for the materials industry. Cofounders Kathryn Williamson and Emmanuel Hatzakis developed the material to give coffee waste a second use while helping replace petroleum-based plastics in functional packaging. The company also develops other sustainable materials from food-industry byproducts.
FINIKSFORGEFINIKSFORGE develops new uses for valuable protein waste by re-engineering natural fibers for a more sustainable textile industry. Based in Brooklyn, the company frames its work around a more circular fashion industry and the recovery of materials that would otherwise be discarded.BROOKLYN, NY
White Coffee CorporationFounded by David White in 1939, White Coffee Corporation is a three-generation, family-owned New York roaster and manufacturer of branded, private-label, and foodservice coffee. The certified woman-owned company is a third-generation importer of fine Arabica coffee and has helped pioneer the specialty coffee industry while developing licensed coffee programs for global brands. Its SQF Level 3-certified manufacturing operation also produces organic and biodegradable single-serve formats, including its BioCup line.LONG ISLAND CITY, NY
Finger Lakes Coffee RoastersSince opening beside the Erie Canal in Bushnell’s Basin in 1996, Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters has turned carefully selected Arabica beans into craft-roasted coffee at its Victor, New York, facility. Owners and roastmasters Bob Cowdery and Larry Werges built the company around small-batch roasting, continual sample roasting and cupping, and freshness—an approach that has made its Canandaigua Blend and more than 100 other coffees familiar across the Finger Lakes and Western New York. The roastery is certified organic by NOFA-NY and offers Fair Trade Organic coffees while composting coffee grounds and reusing roasting chaff locally.VICTOR, NY