The Coffee Mates team – Petar Stefanovski and Nikola Vuchkov, created a sustainable solution for using coffee grounds – they made a glasses frame. They were declared winners for their idea among the third generation of young people within a project called Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs (RISE), organized by the association for social innovation ARNO in North Macedonia.
Petar and Nikola are young innovators and, as they say, coffee friends, with a common mission to create a more sustainable world through positive action.
Using coffee grounds for many different purposes has been a common practice for a long time. People have been using coffee grounds as a natural fertilizer for their gardens for years. However, the idea of recycling used coffee grounds as a sustainable and eco-friendly material has gained popularity in the past few years. After research that has been done by UNDP, they found out that a big amount of organic waste is generated by coffee shops, restaurants, and bars.
Thier idea was born in September 2022, and since then they have been working on it and created a survey analysis about the quantities of coffee used by the local restaurants, coffee shops and bars. Additionally, they participated in a mentorship program for sustainable enterprises sponsored by the RISE 2 project and the local incubator ARNO. They developed their product prototypes, conducted market research and created their business model.
Coffee grounds can find their place in the circular economy in various ways. They can be used as a source of biofuel, fertilizer, or even as an ingredient in cosmetics and skincare products.
Additionally, there are some innovative ways to use coffee grounds as a raw material for creating new products, such as eyeglass frames, furniture, and even shoes. They, as a social enterprise Coffee Mates, are focusing on creating new innovative products on the market such as organic plant fertilizer and eyeglasses frames made of actual coffee waste.
To process coffee grounds into useful items, various methods can be used, depending on the intended application. For instance, to create eyeglass frames, coffee grounds are mixed with biomaterials and molded into the desired shape. The resulting material is durable, lightweight, and eco-friendly.
Mixing used coffee grounds with wood chips and dried leaves can create a nutrient-rich compost that can be used as a fertilizer for plants. Using coffee grounds to create organic fertilizer is a great way to recycle waste and benefit your garden at the same time.
Thanks to Igor Joškovski, an artist and craftsman, they have managed to design and create the prototype for eyeglasses frames. His experience in crafts helps them to develop our product. Our eyeglasses are made out of 100% recycled materials. These unique and handcrafted eyeglasses can be customized to the customers’ needs and requirements.
