Innovation Awards finalist: Bean Around – making sustainable skincare products from coffee grounds

Bean Around makes sustainable cosmetic skincare products from coffee grounds. The company collects used coffee grounds from coffee shops and canteens and repurposes them into exfoliating soap bars, says chief executive Sadhbh Wood.
Coffee grounds had been used in Sadhbh’s home as a way to soothe the skin, so “we just wanted to make it into a form that was easier to use so it wasn’t as messy”, she says.
The company applied for the Supervalu Food Academy in April 2022 and its product was the first non-food product to become part of the programme, says Ms Wood. In October 2022, Bean Around trialled their products with some local coffee shops.
“When we collect coffee grounds from a coffee shop or a work canteen, we sell them back to the company. It is creating a circular experience for both the customer and the company,” Ms Wood says.
Bean Around is also part of the 2024 Lidl Kick Start programme, with a contract to supply 8,000 exfoliating bars to all 200+ stores across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
As well as skincare, the company is investigating the potential of producing coffee-based biochar, a type of charcoal made from heating coffee grounds in a high-temperature environment. Biochar can enhance biogas fuel production and can be used as a way to capture carbon from the atmosphere, Ms Wood says.