Vegan trainers made from coffee grounds, recycled rubber, natural coconut and pineapple fibres, among others, for an environmentally conscious public, but that simultaneously appreciates design and comfort. This is the proposal created and developed by Re-Coffee, a project of young entrepreneurs started in Vila Nova de Famalicão from an “epiphany” of Rui Monteiro, student of Materials Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Minho and already working in the quality direction of a company, the same one that gave him the opportunity to pass his ideas to practice.
It was at the café, at the table with his friends, that he came up with the idea of integrating and valuing coffee grounds in materials. “It wasn’t an easy process, it was necessary to understand how to dry and sterilize the lees to neutralize the substance, but I discovered a world of possibilities”. Rui Monteiro knows what he is talking about and speaks with enthusiasm, after all the “child” is his and is patented, but the young team that accompanies him (Kátia in communication, Lídia in management and Juliana in design) is not behind him and he clearly believes in the potential of the product.
The Re-Coffee project was implemented in October 2019 with the launch of the first line of trainers made by the reuse of coffee grounds and recycled rubber, in combination with other recycled or recyclable materials. The lining of the trainer is made from this new raw material developed by Rui Monteiro and named coffee leather, combining 50% coffee grounds and 50% recycled rubber. The sole has 30% coffee grounds and 70% recycled rubber. There are lees of about 33 espresso coffees in each pair of shoes which are on sale on Facebook and Instagram by Re-Coffee and on the Etsy website.
The pioneering of the brand has already earned it municipal recognition with the award of the seal Famalicão Visão 25, in the category Famalicão Made IN, and deserved the visit of the Mayor on Monday, October 26, under the Roadmap for Innovation of Vila Nova de Famalicão. “I leave a torn compliment to the initiative. They are applying in a sublime way the thesis of circular economy, moving towards the ideal of total elimination of waste in the productive process,” said Paulo Cunha, not hiding the pride of seeing in his municipality “the germination of a project with this entrepreneurial rip by young and creative people.
The Kaffa Line collection is unisex and is available in Caramel, Coffee, Latte Pingatto, Late Machiatto and Red Velvet modes. As for quality, Rui’s Cofee shoes are two years old, “very worn and still smell like coffee”.
Source: Braga TV
