Getting Creative with Coffee Grounds

Many of us find inspiration over our morning cup. But for artist and designer Jorge A. Garcia Razo the muse actually appeared in the dregs of his—and the Mexican expat has been using them to create sustainable design pieces ever since.

“One day while I was cleaning the coffee maker I just asked myself what could be done with the used grounds. I decided to make it my thesis topic.”

“Other people are interested in using, for instance, filament for 3D printing made out of coffee. My original idea was to use my coffee composite material as an alternative for plastics. So my thesis project was a stool.”

Garcia Razo began to experiment, making a number of prototypes from a mixture of coffee sludge and tree-sap binder. “The idea was to make the most natural and ecological product possible.” The stools ended up looking like plates so Jorge’s tutors and friends suggested that he follow that direction.

“After seeing the reaction of people towards the project, I will continue working with the coffee composite, improving the formula and coming up with other objects.”

Improvements include testing the plates in dishwashers and microwaves as well as exposure to very hot liquids, even though, as per the artist, the plates meet food safety requirements.

And while Garcia Razo does accommodate requests for custom pieces, he won’t be pursuing the business side of things until after the holidays when he returns to Prague from his holiday travels, saying: “Mexican food, you know.”