We no longer believe our work ends with serving coffee. As a takeaway business, we are conscious of the waste we generate each day. Cups emptied, grounds discarded, materials passing quickly through our hands. Eco-friendly options, to us, isn't an end solution. We see potential to do more than just that, starting with the root of our waste–coffee.

The Coffee Waste Initiative began as a small, intentional step. It doesn’t assume that every problem can be solved immediately, nor does it claim to offer definitive answers. Instead, it exists because we won’t know what’s possible until we try. This initiative isn’t driven by business objectives. It marks a personal starting point for us, shaped by a desire to take greater responsibility for the materials we use and discard, and to explore how they might live on beyond a single use.

We’re careful not to define this work with labels like “sustainability.” We don’t feel we’ve earned that yet. The process is ongoing, and it may never feel complete, but we believe that staying committed to the work matters more than arriving at a finished state.

So far, the Coffee Waste Initiative has taken several early forms. We’ve begun transforming spent coffee grounds into hand and body soap, extending the life of a material that would otherwise be thrown away. We’ve also explored coffee waste as a material in textile boards, testing how it might function beyond its original context. These early outcomes can be found at our Dihua store and at The Sail, where they exist quietly within the space, not as declarations, but as evidence of an ongoing effort. Alongside this, we’re continuing research and development into furniture made with coffee waste as well.

We’re not simply repurposing waste. We’re working toward a circular approach where materials move beyond a single use, returning as objects within the spaces we live and work in. We imagine a future where a store or office is built entirely around coffee waste, allowing materials once discarded to become integral to how we work and gather. Perhaps even a dedicated coffee waste processing plant, one that could support these experiments at a larger scale.

When we look ahead, we allow room for imagination. From a bean to a dream, the future of this initiative isn’t fixed, but guided by curiosity. For now, we continue where we are, paying attention to what we produce, testing ideas with care, and allowing the work to evolve naturally. This initiative is only a beginning, and we’re committed to seeing where it leads.