Suffolk, Va. - A local coffee company is changing the way it serves up your typical cup of joe, and it all has to do with helping out the environment.
"Folks are going to be able to taste a great cup of coffee and not feel that guilt at the end of the day about throwing that pod away," said Brian Kubicki, Vice President of Marketing for Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA.
With hair nets on and ear plugs in, NewsChannel 3 took a tour of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage plant in Suffolk, the place where the world's first 100 percent compostable single-serve coffee pod will be produced.
The new coffee pod will be a big change from K-cups that already exist in the coffee industry. In fact, the k-cups don't break down after they make it to the landfill. The new coffee pods made by Massimo Zanetti, though, will break down.
"All of those right now are going to the landfill. There's nowhere else for them to go. We truly feel like this could be a game changer," said Kubicki.
Why is the Massimo Zanetti's compostable PurPod100 technology so unique?
The company says the lid of the pod is made of 100 percent compostable bio-materials. The ring of the pod is made with bio-material and reclaimed coffee chaff, which is the skin of the coffee bean that comes off during the roasting process. The coffee itself is organic. And the filter of the pod is 100 percent compostable mesh. In other words, the entire pod is made of material that will break down and go back into the environment.
"What we're hopefully going to be able to do is alleviate that guilt so they can feel good about the coffee that they drink and know that they're putting it in their compost bin or locally they're putting it in their yard waste," said Kubicki.
Right now the pods are being tested for biodegradable certification. The company says the pods will be produced here in Hampton Roads by the end of the year.
