In Japan, not only are people enjoying a treat from Starbucks, some cows are, too.
Starbucks purchases somewhere around 400 million pounds of coffee globally each year, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. In an effort to be more environmentally friendly and keep those used coffee grounds out of landfills, over 100 Starbucks locations across Japan are now converting their used coffee grounds into feed for dairy cows.
The coffee waste, known as bean cake, is collected from Starbucks locations in the Kanto and Kansai regions. It is taken to a recycling center to be dehydrated, processed using a unique lactic acid fermentation technique, and turned into a substance that can be used as cattle feed or as compost fertilizer.
Interestingly, the fermentation method was actually developed by a Japanese contact lens manufacturer, Menicon, during its experimentation with new contact lens materials. Menicon partnered with Azabu University's School of Veterinary Medicine to create the coffee-based feed for cattle.
These coffee grounds are not going to feed just any cows either. Milk produced by the cows consuming the feed are the same cows that provide some of the milk that complements the store's beverages. Starbucks also uses fermented coffee grounds as a fertilizer product, and, in turn, those fertilized fields grow some of the vegetables it serves.
There are no immediate plans to expand the recycling process beyond Japan. Starbucks has, however, been making good use of their used grounds for years in the U.S. and other countries by giving them away for free to customers to utilize as fertilizers in their home gardens.
