Startup unveils first-of-its-kind product that could be game-changer for coffee drinkers: 'The design is so adorable'

A Canadian biotech company, Genecis Bioindustries, launched a consumer brand offering sustainable coffee pods.

As Packaging World shared, Genecis' Mad Coffee is the world's first lyophilized coffee powder — allowing it to dissolve in cold water following a flash-freeze process the company calls LyoExtract — and comes in compostable packaging.

The company's CEO, Luna Yu, demonstrated in a video hosted on Packaging World's site how the coffee pods work: opening the lid, ripping open the tab, and dumping the pod's contents directly into cold water. No coffee machine is needed to make the coffee. Just add ice for a refreshing dose of caffeine without the waste or guilt. 

Mad Coffee is crystallized coffee powder that instantly dissolves in cold water. To prepare it, simply stir for about three seconds. 

Genecis' instant coffee pod development stands out because it is made with compostable packaging, albeit requiring industrial composting, according to the company, so consumers would need to find a local professional composting program instead of using a home option. 

Traditional plastic coffee pods aren't recyclable or compostable, meaning they end up in landfills and contribute to our planet's growing trash problem. 

Other innovative companies have also developed eco-friendly solutions to satisfy your morning coffee habit. 

For example, Cambio Roasters developed a completely recyclable aluminum coffee pod, and Huhtamaki created compostable, paper-based pods for Nespresso. Also, Club Coffee sells its coffee beans and grounds in paper-based canisters. 

The Genecis and Mad Coffee team is launching in U.S. supermarkets in July. With financial backing from Amazon and Khosla Ventures, Yu said the brand hopes to demonstrate to others how simple and sustainable compostable packaging can be. The brand engineers bacteria to create biodegradable PHA plastic that functions much like traditional plastic, calling it "nature's way of storing carbon and energy within bacteria."

According to Genecis, "PHA breaks down naturally in the environment without leaving behind harmful microplastics or toxic residue," though again, the company says on its website that the pods are only certified as industrially compostable.

When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks 😍 The information it provides 🧐 The waste it produces 🗑️ I don't think about packaging at all 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

You can do your part to limit microplastics in our environment and keep them out of your body by ditching single-use, polluting coffee products in favor of planet-friendly innovations like these. It makes a difference when you support brands offering plastic-free packaging, as your waste doesn't contribute to overcrowding landfills. 

In a LinkedIn post about Mad Coffee's launch, a climate tech entrepreneur commented: "I like to make mine with milk and I love how I can stir it so easily into a cold drink! The design is so adorable and the flavors so tasty." 

A venture capital firm partner added that they were "thrilled to see real-world application of PHA on the market, delivering value and sustainability." 

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