Contrary to what your local café might have you believe, coffee beans don’t grow coated in sweet delicious chocolate that melts just the right amount while perched on top of your morning latte. Instead, they grow as part of a larger fruit and must be processed to remove the outer skin and the husk – a thinner layer of skin that grows directly on the bean and becomes an unused byproduct of the milling process. Each year, over 1.3 million tons of husk waste is created in the production of coffee – that’s nearly 7 pounds per average coffee drinker per year! With no current productive use for the husks, they pile up on farms and mills all over the globe. On a mission to eliminate waste in coffee production and armed with decades of industry experience, the folks at Huskee set out to clean up this mess by finding sustainable ways to use those café cast-offs.
That’s when the HuskeeCup was born. The sleek mug is made from discarded coffee husks and is entirely reusable and recyclable. It’s available in three sizes (6oz, 8oz, and 12oz) with a matching one-size-fits-all saucer, so no matter your brew of choice, you can enjoy some rich coffee-in-coffee-on-coffee layering. Huskee didn’t stop at Inception-ing coffee, though – this little java jug is carefully designed, with a ridged surface to retain heat, a sleek shape for a comfortable hold, and interior contours to help out if you want to mix in some milk. It’s also easily stack-able and plenty durable, so it will last years whether it’s in a busy café or a quiet apartment.
If you’ve been searching for a greener way to enjoy your morning joe, you can catch this clever cup on Kickstarter through July 25th. The HuskeeCup is also available in sets, so you can finally replace that thrift store mug collection with something a little more refined.
