Zenbird Editorial TeamRokumei Coffee has developed a new packaging material made from spent coffee grounds, in partnership with local paper wholesaler Pepal Co., Ltd. The material is called Coffee Usuzumi Craft, and uses bio-carbonisation technology to transform coffee waste into gift boxes.
The initiative launched in March 2026. The roaster processes approximately 40 tonnes of coffee annually, generating significant volumes of spent grounds. It had long sought ways to reuse this waste, but contaminants, including paper filters from hand-dripping, made conventional applications such as composting or animal feed difficult.
Pepal developed a process to bio-carbonise the grounds before mixing them with recycled cardboard pulp. This allows contaminants such as paper filters to be processed without affecting paper quality. The resulting material has a muted grey-brown tone derived from coffee biochar.
