Coffee chaff is a natural waste product from roasting coffee beans, but we don’t like the word ‘waste’, so wherever possible we get creative around the mantra of reducing, repurposing and recycling.
It is natural, clean, dry and soft . . . and we have lots of it. But actually, chaff can be repurposed rather than being thrown away:
Compost. Chaff is organic, light and mixes well with other compostable contents. It’s best to layer it (as with most composting) with food waste, existing compost, a little cardboard. grass cuttings and more. Coffee chaff is rich in nitrogen and so not only enriches soil but helps vegetables like tomatoes grow well.
Even better, it also helps to ward off slugs and snails – they can’t stand the smell of coffee. So make sure you put your used coffee grinds on your garden too!
Animal Bedding. Chaff makes great animal bedding for pets like chickens and rabbits. It’s easy to handle, clean and soft.
We currently give it away for FREE, so if you want some pop in to the roastery and just ask!
Whilst you’re here you might like to know we’re also keen to see other items repurposed or recycled. We’re working hard to do the best we can across our whole business, and you can read a bit more on the link below.
Coffee Sacks. Those beautiful jute or hessien sacks we buy our coffee in – we get 100s a year so if you want some for upholstering, a craft project, your allotment carpet or anything else we have plenty available.
Coffee sack liners. Similarly, the coffee (60Kg) comes lined with very strong sacks that have dozens of uses and plenty of life left in them.
Pallets. We get a lot of pallet deliveries and only send some of them back out, so we encourage upcycling them into garden projects.
Polystyrene. This is a nightmare product but sadly still used for packaging expensive coffee machines (and we sort of understand but wish there as a better option). When we have any it’s available free for gardeners and model-makers, or to insulate your shed. Come and ask, we’ll gladly give it away FREE.
We’re also keen for suggestions where we can be even better so get in touch.
