Did you know?
Coffee lovers in the Netherlands roughly consume a staggering 12 billion cups of coffee per year, generating over 250 million kilograms of coffee grounds, a stream that’s both abundant and under-utilised.
That mountain of spent grounds is often either incinerated or sent to landfills, which release methane and CO₂, two potent greenhouse gases, when they decompose or are burnt.
In the Netherlands, sustainability is more than just a buzzword. It has been woven into the daily lives of residents for years. Dutch cities and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of the circular economy, transforming what many consider waste into high-value resources.
SPORO fits right into that story. Across the country, circular startups are already showing what’s possible with the strategic repurposing of coffee waste. For instance, Caffe Inc., based in Amsterdam, transforms coffee waste into ingredients like coffee oil and coffee blocks for skincare and cosmetics. Coffee-Based makes products such as notebooks and cups. SPORO saw a unique opportunity, building on the work of Rotterzwam.
Rotterzwam grows mushrooms on coffee grounds, grains and wood chips, which are then processed into beer, dumplings and bitterballs, among other delicious delicacies for retail. A special substrate is needed to transform urban waste into mushroom food. To strengthen and scale this circular system, SPORO developed a technology in Rotterdam itself to turn the waste stream into a high-quality substrate.
The goal is to collect coffee grounds and other organic waste streams in the Netherlands, process them into high-quality substrates and distribute them to mushroom growers such as Rotterzwam throughout the country.
By localizing the entire process, both financial and environmental costs for companies are drastically reduced. Shorter chains mean fewer transport emissions, more efficient use of resources and a more resilient regional economy. Preventing the incineration of waste also cuts greenhouse gas emissions and helps the Netherlands achieve its climate goals.
In addition, we have developed an innovative sterilisation method that allows us to use as much of the collected waste as possible while safeguarding the quality of our product. Our sterilisation technique uses significantly less energy than conventional methods.
By converting Dutch organic waste streams into local food and materials, SPORO fosters a truly circular economy, one where waste is converted into value, and local resources drive local growth. Every kilogram of coffee grounds repurposed is a small but powerful step towards a more sustainable and inclusive Netherlands.
Inclusive, how you ask? By collaborating with local cafes, farmers and businesses, we create meaningful employment opportunities, including roles for people with a distance to the labour market. Social impact is not an afterthought, but an integral part of SPORO's business model. More about that in our next blogs!
Check out our other blogs too!