Pioneers in the field of sustainable coffee, those guys. Not just in terms of beans: the Koffiejongens were the first in the Netherlands with fully biodegradable coffee cups. You can even throw them in your compost bin or with the organic waste. The cups are made from plants and they simply fit in your standard Nespresso machine. Because they are biodegradable, you can throw them on your compost heap after use (time for a new hobby). Within six months, the cups will then turn into food for your plants and other greenery.

Sustainable expensive? That's not necessary. At least not at De Koffiejongens! Not the cheapest on the market, but just below the average, which is about 25% cheaper than what you see on the shelves.

The Coffee Boys

Some people like to grind their own beans. The other goes for convenience. We won't judge. However, those polluting coffee cups are a disadvantage. Of course that could have been done better. Halo has coffee cups for your Nespresso machine, but the cups can be composted at home. Another eureka moment. About 60 billion coffee cups are produced worldwide every year. Of these, roughly 20% are recycled (with the necessary environmental impact) and the rest: on the waste mountain. Ouch yes. The Halo cups are made from sugar cane waste. And the result is a home compostable coffee pod. Halo is available in several flavors, all from different origins such as Ethiopia, India, Honduras and Brazil.

The global coffee market is huge. Naturally, most of the work lies with the coffee farmers. However, the distribution is such that 85% of the coffee value ends up with the multinationals and the farmers have to make do with 15%. While these multinationals only add 2% added value. The rest is profit. With fair trade coffee, farmers already receive a higher price for their hard work. And fairchain goes one step further. Income from the beans increases, techniques for better and cleaner production are learned, education for the children of the families is arranged, and more. So you want regular good coffee. Then buy coffee from a good source. In doing so, you contribute to a better distribution in this billion-dollar market.
These brands are committed to a better distributed and more sustainable coffee market: Moyee Coffee, Fair Trade Original en Coffee to Stay.

Also a good substitute for coffee: ground chicory root. The Pacha brand is on the office shelf (but there are several brands). It is still somewhat bitter, but also has a nutty undertone. No caffeine, and simply dissolve in your hot water or milk (substitute).

Chicory (chicory also belongs to the chicory family) is a source of inulin (which is a natural prebiotic), and inulin in turn strengthens the body's immunity, protects the intestines and helps remove toxins in the body.