CoffeeB: Germany launch of the world's first capsule-free coffee system

20-Apr-2023 - United Kingdom

CoffeeB - the world's first coffee capsule system that works entirely without a capsule - is being launched in Germany today. Since its launch in Switzerland and France in September 2022, the innovation has also made headlines internationally - including in the Washington Post - and was even featured on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show. Since then, CoffeeB has promised to be the most significant coffee innovation since the invention of the coffee capsule and to radically change the market: Instead of a capsule, the system works with a small, fully compostable ball of pressed coffee. CoffeeB has all the conveniences of conventional capsule systems and guarantees the best coffee enjoyment - but generates no waste. The innovation is available on the German market immediately in participating EDEKA stores and successively in the stores of Mediamarkt and Saturn and in the associated online stores, as well as on CoffeeB.com.

With CoffeeB, Delica has launched the next major revolution in the coffee market 37 years after the launch of the coffee capsule. It is introducing the first capsule system that does not require a capsule at all. This is made possible by the "Coffee Ball": a small ball of pressed coffee encased solely by a protective alginate layer patented worldwide by Delica. This not only gives the Coffee Ball stability - it also forms an ideal oxygen barrier that protects against flavor loss, just like aluminum. Like the coffee itself, the protective layer is of natural origin and therefore completely garden compostable. Within a few weeks, the Coffee Ball decomposes into valuable humus. The system is completed by the CoffeeB Globe coffee machine with patented brewing technology. CoffeeB offers individual variety selection and different strength levels.

Saving 100,000 tons of capsule waste* annually.

"CoffeeB combines what has not been possible to unite in the coffee sector until now: a full taste experience, convenience and zero waste," enthuses Frank Wilde, Head of CoffeeB. "Worldwide, more than 100,000 tons of capsule waste are generated each year. By eliminating plastic and aluminum shells at CoffeeB, our innovative Coffee Ball is helping to address this huge problem. To this day, a majority of traditional coffee capsules end up in the trash, recyclability or not."

Xerxes Shahparast, Delica Germany Managing Director adds, "The Germans' favorite hot beverage is coffee. After America and France, Germany is the third largest capsule market in the world. We are pleased to now take another step towards sustainable coffee consumption here as well!"

CoffeeB's sustainability goes beyond the garden compostability of the Coffee Balls. The machine is made largely from recycled materials and can be repaired by service centers when needed. Thanks to modular machine design, individual technical components can also be replaced. But the design of the CoffeeB Globe machine in black and white is also convincing: on June 19, 2023, CoffeeB will receive the prestigious Red Dot Award: "Best of the Best" in the category "Kitchen Appliances and Kitchen Accessories".

The whole system and all coffees are 100% CO2 compensated. The coffee beans come from sustainable cultivation and, depending on the flavor, are either Rainforest Alliance or certified organic and Fairtrade. All packaging is recyclable.

Five years of development work

"The simplicity of the system gives you little idea of how much development work went into it. It took five years from the idea to market readiness, and of course there were numerous setbacks," says Caroline Siefarth of CoffeeB, who was instrumental in the development. "But we are more than convinced that every hour invested was worth it."

Today, CoffeeB is launched in Germany. The Coffee Balls are available in eight different flavors, and the CoffeeB Globe coffee machine is available in black or white in participating EDEKA stores and successively in Mediamarkt and Saturn stores and in the associated online stores as well as on CoffeeB.com.

* Calculations based on Euromonitor Passport 2021

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1180219/coffeeb-germany-launch-of-the-world-s-first-capsule-free-coffee-system.html