I consider myself a tactile person: before I buy anything – be it clothing, furniture or an accessory – I have a need to touch it. I can always remember the feeling of a particular surface. Perhaps that is why I immediately noticed something different about the Kaffeeform coffee cup I was drinking from at Isla Coffee. This is not your average ceramic mug: what looks like a corrugated cardboard surface is actually a material made from recycled coffee grounds. The cup is surprisingly light, soft to the touch and pleasantly warm when filled with a hot drink. The product concept lies in coffee itself — after three years of trial and error, product designer Julian Lechner was able to develop a solid object made from coffee grounds. The raw material is collected in Berlin, prepared and then manufactured into unique objects at production facilities around Germany. Since its release late last year, I’ve been carrying Kaffeeform’s reusable takeaway cup, the “Weducer”, with me wherever I go. It’s just as dishwasher safe and BPA-free as a conventional cup. Kaffeeform manages to combine sustainability with simplicity and elegance: These mugs were made for design-minded coffee lovers who are doing their bit for the environment. (Text: Kristina Hellhake / Photos: Kaffeeform)
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Kristina Hellhake has a passion for good ideas and the stories behind them — which she shares via her PR agency, Compose. She moved to Berlin after graduating from high school in 2004 and has remained loyal to Friedrichshain ever since.