Supplier stories: no more pesky pods thanks to Crema Joe

By Sherron Dalziel

We are definitely a caffeine loving nation and that could be why, every day, over 3 million single use coffee pods end up in landfill. Just picture an Olympic sized swimming pool filled to the brim with these plastic pests every eight days.

In 2014, new mum Kayla Mossuto became acutely aware of the responsibility we all have in providing our kids with a beautiful world and so she and her husband started Crema Joe.

And in her own words – "to help create a world where people no longer need or want disposable coffee pods. We want our capsules to become the go-to for thousands of eco-conscious Australians looking to satisfy their caffeine habit, without the guilt."

This whole concept of reusing over recycling seems so obvious but it can only happen with education and sustainable options.

The Crema Joe pods have been designed for use with a wide range of mainstream machine brands such as Nespresso, K-Fee, Caffitaly and Dolce Gusto. Kayla's favourite are the Nespresso-compatible capsules pods which consistently brew a fantastic coffee."

The impact of consumers making the change to these sustainable pods has seen the company save over 11.5 million capsules ending up in landfill or our ocean.
The next step for this amazing brand is already set to launch with a corporate capsule refill service. In this way, the company also hopes to open lines of communication and inspire even greater change in waste reduction.

Behind the scenes at Crema Joe, the entire business is focused on community and reducing single use consumption. The corporate culture in the company has provided working mothers with the opportunity to raise a family and be part of a supportive working environment.

"We have created a community based circular economy" explained Kayla, and the entire business has a focus on their sustainability vision. To this end, anything that can be collected and reused is on the radar. Postal packaging and bubble wrap is reused where possible.

Suppliers are encouraged to minimise their packaging of delivered goods. Materials that would otherwise end up in the bin, are sourced from individuals and local businesses and given another lease on life. Unwanted but useful leftover materials are given new homes. The budding artists at the nearby kindergartens now have an abundance of cardboard rolls and the local Australia Post have had their rubber band supply stretched (in a good way.)

We too have to adopt this philosophy of not buying more so maybe you could aim to buy second hand, swap, sell or borrow.

So take a leaf or in this case a bean out of Crema Joe's book and make those important swaps where you can.