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Cambio Roasters has assembled a “dream team” with experience working in the C-suites of some of the biggest names in the food and beverage industries with the goal of helping transform the world of single-serve coffee. The team at Cambio Roasters is looking to help Americans have a better tasting and more sustainable cup of coffee without drastically changing their habits or reducing their wallets.
In February 2024, Keurig Dr. Pepper announced in its Q4 2023 report that nearly 40 million American households have a Keurig brewing system, meaning millions of plastic K-Cups, also known as coffee pods, were thrown into landfills. Cambio Roasters is looking to eliminate massive waste by introducing an aluminum alternative.
“Coffee actually doesn’t like plastic because plastic allows more oxygen to preserve the magic of the coffee,” Cambio Roasters CEO and founder Kevin Hartley explained to FOX Business. Plastic is porous and allows oxygen to seep in, spoiling the coffee’s flavor, while aluminum keeps the coffee airtight and fresh, according to Hartley.
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Cambio Roasters makes aluminum coffee pods. (Courtesy of Cambio Roasters)
Hartley was previously a C-suite executive at Keurig Green Mountain prior to its merger with Dr. Pepper, where he helped grow the company. He founded Cambio Roasters with Ann Hutson, who has a background in strategic marketing and program management. The company’s leadership team includes COO Mike Cunningham and CMO Dave Sachs, both former Keurig Green Mountain executives.
Hartley, Cunningham and Sachs all emphasized the pride they have in the work they have done for Keurig, and Sachs said they are all still big fans of the machine. However, they also noted an increase in consumer concern about the amount of single-use plastic produced every day and the use of microplastics.
Consumers have become increasingly concerned about the presence of microplastics in food and beverages, especially when items are exposed to heat while in plastic containers. However, the long-term health risks are not fully understood.
Mohamed Abdallah, a professor of environmental science at the University of Birmingham in the UK who studied the issue, told Time that he found “significant levels of microplastics” when testing coffee made from pods. He verified the source of the microplastics by tracing them back to the plastics used to make the pod, according to Time.
“I just can’t see how plastic is going to be sustainable. I mean, people are becoming more aware and concerned about the environment, concerned about what’s happening in their body, and they’re looking for options,” Hutson told Fox Business.
From left, Cambio Roasters COO Mike Cunningham, CMO Dave Sachs, co-founder Ann Hutson and CEO and founder Kevin Hartley. (Courtesy of Cambio Roasters)
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While consumers are concerned about microplastics, there are still aspects of the single-use coffee pod that keep coming back, which is what Cambio Roasters aims to preserve.
“What they love about it is always perfect, easy, fast, no mess, no cleaning, one cup at a time. We thought there must be a better way to bring those benefits to the consumer. And we believe we found one that offers both a fresh cup of coffee and less waste,” said Sachs.
Cunningham explained that although the plastic used in coffee pods can be recycled in theory, there are many problems that prevent them from being turned into new pods or other items. First, the size of the pods makes it so they tend to end up in the trash. Second, it is cheaper to buy virgin plastic than recycled plastic, making it less likely that a single-use coffee pod will be turned into something else.
“You’re taking aluminum and all that turning power,” Cunningham explained. He said that because the diameter of the aluminum pod expands once it is pressed, it makes it less likely that the pods will be lost during operation. Additionally, aluminum is very valuable to recyclers, making it very easy for them to work hard to make the pods reusable.
Cambio Roasters is looking to provide Americans with a better tasting and more sustainable cup of coffee. (luza studios/iStock/Getty Images)
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The philosophy of reducing waste goes beyond the elimination of plastic in the police. Cambio Roasters leadership also recognizes that traditional drip coffee creates waste.
“The bottom line is from a traditional drip coffee maker, the only consumer of coffee is the kitchen sink,” Cunningham said. “It’s not just coffee, all the water started to grow coffee and so on, so right off the bat, as we believe that the single-serve coffee market has an inherent value because you don’t waste it.”
Hartley also highlighted the company’s pledge to support struggling coffee farming families, committing 20% of its profits to the effort. He said the program reflects a broader shift among consumers who are looking for products that match both their tastes and values. Cambio Roasters is betting that change will change the way Americans brew their morning coffee.
