Two new innovations in coffee packaging have been announced, with KFC launching an edible coffee cup and Novamont producing a compostable espresso capsule. Fast food chain KFC has said it is to launch edible and scented coffee cups in UK stores later this year to mark the launch of KFC’s ‘Seattle’s Best Coffee’.

Created by experimental food purveyors The Robin Collective, the ‘Scoff-ee Cup’ comprises a biscuit shell, which is wrapped in sugar paper and lined with heat-resistant white chocolate (although the lining does eventually melt if the coffee is held in the cup for long enough). The cups are also scented with ‘mood lifting’ scents, such as coconut sun cream, freshly cut grass, and wild flowers.

It is hoped that the cups will help cut down on food waste and provide customers with some entertainment while drinking their coffee.

Brand Manager at KFC Jocelyn Bynoe said that the company has been “experimenting with edible packaging to see if it could be a feasible product to bring to market in limited quantities and thought that if our customers occasionally like to have their cake and eat it, why wouldn’t they want have their cup and eat it instead!”

One of the founders of The Robin Collective, Brandy Wright, added: “Not only do the edible cups taste amazing, but they smell delicious too…The scents were used in our recipes as they have a natural ability to evoke the positive memories we associate with warm weather, sunshine and summer holidays. Things that make everyone smile.”

The 'Scoff-ee Cups' are still in their development phase, but KFC has said it expects to trial them at a limited number of stores later this year.

Compostable coffee capsules

In related news, coffee manufacturer Lavazza and biochemical company Novamont have announced the launch of the ‘first wholly biodegradable and compostable coffee capsules for espresso machines’.

The capsules, which will be on the market ‘by the end of 2015’ are made from Mater-Bi® 3G, a thistle-based biopolymer, and are compatible with the Lavazza Minù coffee machine. They contain two blends of Arabica coffee beans certified by Rainforest Alliance.

According to the manufacturer, the capsules meet the EU’s biodegradability standard EN 13432 and can be disposed of along with other organic waste to be industrially processed into compost.

Novamont said that the capsules are the result of a give-year research project between the two companies to try and design out waste, as it has previously been found that around 12,000 tonnes of coffee capsules are disposed of in Italian landfills and incinerators every year.

Catia Bastoli, Managing Director of Novamont, commented: "[This] is much more than a technical solution which improves the environmental sustainability of a product. With this first compostable espresso coffee capsule developed with Lavazza, which uses third generation Mater-Bi®, we're in a position to demonstrate the potential of the bio-economy in real terms, not merely in the sense of using renewable raw materials, but as a means of regenerating the territory.

“It's important to point out that behind something as apparently simple as an everyday cup of coffee obtained from this new compostable capsule lies not only a possible reinforcement of environmental safeguards but also economic growth and increased employment, within a territorially-integrated production process focused on biodiversity.”

Marco Lavazza, Group Vice-chairman of Lavazza, added: “This is a historic moment for Lavazza, as what we're presenting here is a completely new product. At last, we've made a scientific and technological breakthrough, with the first, Lavazza patented, compostable capsule…

“With this capsule, we focused on the final stage in the life cycle of the product, which is very important not only in social and environmental terms, but also from the economic viewpoint. What we're dealing with here is a process of circular development, in which the end of one process marks the start of another.

“What we aim to do with this product is gratify the consumers with a perfect espresso, while at the same time enabling them to make their own contribution to our good practices and sustainable actions.”

The two companies also announced the launch of a new project with the Polytechnic of Turin to produce mushrooms from coffee grounds.

Find out more about the Mater-Bi® 3G compostable coffee capsules.