What if your morning cup of coffee could go on to grow your dinner?
Now Dutch, start-up GRO is beginning to make this a reality.
Founder Jan Willem Bosman Janson was originally inspired to start the company by an initiative in Zimbabwe, which used waste produced from coffee plantations to cultivate mushrooms. He realized there was an opportunity to bring this back home to the Netherlands, and so began GRO.
GRO works on a cyclical system, with GRO collecting coffee grounds from cafes, restaurants, corporate cafeterias, and catering services, packing it up, and shipping it to the GRO farm. They then use the grounds to grow oyster mushrooms to be made into snacks and finger food sold back to the kitchens to prepare, thus closing the cyclical system with minimal ecological impact. The GRO website also has a wealth of recipes, including Yakitori Style Burgers, High Tea, and Classic Carpaccio, which kitchens can use and are also available for everyone to read.
Just a note: they are all in Dutch, so they will need some translation before use!
In 2011, GRO earned the “Karel de Vos Sustainability Award,” which catapulted them into the limelight. Since then, they have continued to win multiple accolades and are the go-to choice for many food professionals.
So, what’s next for GRO?
Well, first of all, they want to scale their operations to scale their impact on the food industry. To expand their ambitions, they are hoping to engage with more retail, catering, and food service partners.
Coffee grounds aren’t the only morning beverage that can be used to grow mushrooms! Check out our article on how tea waste can also be used as a mushroom substrate and discover more sustainable ways to cultivate your own fungi.
