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‘No Waste’ coffee capsules

San Francisco Bay Coffee Co. unveils its No Waste OneCup coffee capsule packaging, comprising a compostable pod, a compostable mother bag, and a recyclable carton.

The No Waste OneCup coffee capsule is constructed of a ring and mesh made from PLA, and a wood pulp-based lid.
The No Waste OneCup coffee capsule is constructed of a ring and mesh made from PLA, and a wood pulp-based lid.

Since introducing its single-serve coffee pod products seven years ago, family-owned San Francisco Bay Coffee Co. has been working on capsule technology to reduce packaging waste to landfill—a project that came to fruition October 2017, with the launch of its No Waste OneCup packaging. The company bills its new pod packaging, currently being used for 100-ct cartons of French Roast blend for Costco, as the first no-waste solution, with a compostable pod, a compostable mother bag, and a recyclable carton.

Since San Francisco Bay Coffee was born 40 years ago, its emphasis has been on making the best pot of coffee possible, while giving back to communities locally and those where its beans are sourced, and on being environmentally responsible.

Therefore, the packaging waste resulting from coffee capsules rankled its sustainability sensibilities, even as it participated in the market. “We decided we wanted to get into the single-serve market when we were seeing the explosive growth,” says Jim Rogers, one of four Rogers siblings running the company. “But at the same time, we were really alarmed at how much plastic was being thrown into landfills.

“The first thing we did was talk to a number of suppliers and customers to gauge their interest in more environmentally friendly packaging and to ask, ‘What can we do right off the bat?’”

The first change the company made to the traditional pod was to eliminate the thermoformed plastic cup used to hold the coffee, replacing it with a mesh material attached to a plastic ring. That alone reduced the plastic content of the pod by 25 to 30%, recalls Rogers.

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