Biobased compostable single-serve coffee capsules

Peeze Coffee Roasters and Advanced Technology Innovations (ATI) developed a sustainable alternative for the aluminum based single-serve coffee capsules. Peeze’s innovative coffee capsules are manufactured from a biobased polyester (Polylactic Acid - PLA) which is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. The PLA material has different processing and performance characteristics compared with traditional polyolefins, such as polypropylene. Therefore specific injection molding technology was redesigned for the manufacture of these capsules.

A second component requiring redesign was the foil used to seal the capsules. Existing coffee capsules most often make use of aluminum as both a barrier material (for instance for oxygen) as well as an extraction membrane because it can easily be punctured and it's relatively high resistance to heat inside the coffee machines. Peeze and ATI tested a unique combination of materials which has resulted in a bio-based and biodegradable foil which offers similar characteristics as with the aluminum foil. Sustainably produced high quality Arabica coffee completes the innovation, which was honored with the Food Valley Award in 2015.