Anyone who drinks coffee can appreciate the undeniable convenience of coffee pods, most commonly associated with Keurig machines. But environmentally, these plastic pods are mounting up to an estimated 40 billion pieces of waste in the landfills every year. Enter a chemist, a material-development company and a focus on superfoods for some interesting coffee options with the added benefit of fully compostable pods.
Nexe Innovations, a Vancouver-based company, set out to eliminate plastic, explaining, “Our mission is to replace everyday products with plant-based materials.” With this goal in mind, chemist Dr. Zac Hudson spent three years working with Nexe to develop an alternative for single-use plastic coffee pods.
The result is a plant-based pod that is fully compatible with existing single-serve machines. After use, the pod is completely compostable when incorporated with other industrial compost. That means the pods need to go into municipal compost bins for proper processing. Because they are entirely plant-based, the pods are safe for the soil, leaving behind zero microplastics. Scientific testing suggests they will compost in as little as 35 days and around seven weeks on average.
For the initial launch into the e-commerce market for Canada and the United States, Nexe has introduced Xoma Superfoods, a lineup of high-quality coffee and super-food creamers that meet internal standards of sustainability and quality.
“The pandemic along with the increase in people working from home has amplified the global interest for health-conscious products that are convenient, sustainable, and taste great,” said Marc Bains, brand manager for Xoma Superfoods.
Recently, the company began shipments on three coffee options. Xoma Coffee Fortified with MCT offers medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) along with your morning cup of coffee. Xoma’s MCT is made from virgin coconut oil. Xoma Mushroom Coffee is formulated with chaga, cordyceps and lion’s mane mushrooms in a rich, low-calorie source of fiber, protein and antioxidants, which you can now enjoy with Xoma’s dark-roasted coffee. Xoma Keto Coffee is a rich and energizing beverage made with quality fats and MCT oil and flavored with hints of vanilla.
Xoma Superfoods delivers coffee options in single-serve, plant-based pods [Inhabitat]