{"id":162801,"date":"2025-05-12T07:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T05:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=162801"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T10:29:00","slug":"exclusive-greek-startup-coffeeco-upcycle-raises-e715k-to-turn-coffee-waste-into-skincare-and-bioplastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/exclusive-greek-startup-coffeeco-upcycle-raises-e715k-to-turn-coffee-waste-into-skincare-and-bioplastics\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Greek startup Coffeeco Upcycle raises \u20ac715K to turn coffee waste into skincare and bioplastics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Up to 99% of coffee fruit is discarded as waste after espresso production, contributing to environmental pollution and carbon emissions. Globally, this amounts to over 23 million tons of coffee waste<\/a> annually, with the majority ending up in landfills. There, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO\u2082. Coffeeco Upcycle SA transforms this coffee waste into high-value products through innovative, science-driven processes. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Coffeeco Upcycle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Using their proprietary chemical-free extraction technology, they recover antioxidant-rich compounds and natural fibres from spent coffee grounds to create minimalist, high-performance skincare products and experimental bioplastics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the company announced it has secured \u20ac715,000 in the first close of its \u20ac1 million Seed Round. The round, backed by London-based boutique financial firm VDK Capital, welcomed new international investors. This strategic partnership strengthens global confidence in Coffeeco\u2019s ability to scale and innovate. The round remains open for an additional three months, with \u20ac285,000 still available for mission-aligned investors. As exclusively told to TFN<\/em>, this brings the company\u2019s valuation to \u20ac6.6M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This milestone enables Coffeeco to expand across Europe and the U.S., while scaling both its flagship Auraskin product line and its revolutionary approach to circular, science-backed innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marios Vlachogiannis<\/a>, co-founder & COO, told us: \u201cThe new funding will primarily be used to expand Coffeeco Upcycle\u2019s presence in key international markets, starting with the UK and the US. Priority initiatives include building distribution partnerships with major coffee chains and speciality retailers, enhancing marketing activities for Auraskin, the company\u2019s \u2018skincare to go\u2019 brand, supporting product certifications and regulatory approvals, and investing further in R&D to develop new applications for upcycled coffee materials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Espresso waste to skincare-to-go<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coffeeco Upcycle was founded by Alexis Pantziaros<\/a> and Marios Vlachogiannis, two chemical engineers passionate about innovation and sustainability. Pantziaros, from Cyprus, holds Bachelor\u2019s, Master\u2019s, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Patras. Vlachogiannis brings strong expertise in circular economy initiatives. They met at a 2016 innovation competition and, sharing a vision to address global resource waste, co-founded Coffeeco Upcycle in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company emerged from a combination of personal initiative and market opportunity. In 2018, while still students, Marios and Alexis discovered that 95% of coffee fruit, a staple in daily life, was being wasted. Where others saw refuse, they recognised potential. This insight sparked their mission to give spent coffee grounds a second life through their technical expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Coffeeco\u2019s core lies a simple premise: coffee waste is an untapped resource. Through their proprietary processes, they extract antioxidant-rich compounds from spent grounds, creating functional, minimalist skincare products sold under the Auraskin brand directly in coffee shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This innovative \u201cskincare-to-go\u201d model transforms caf\u00e9s into beauty retail spaces. Auraskin now sells at over 90 locations across Greece, Cyprus, Madrid, London, Romania, and Boston, where it recently launched in the South End, proving successful even in -2\u00b0C winter mornings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company currently processes over 10 tons of spent coffee grounds monthly, converting them into bioactive compounds, skincare products, and experimental bioplastics. Planning to scale to 22 tons monthly, Coffeeco is building an efficient, vertically integrated supply chain from waste collection to finished product that minimises environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extracting bioactive compounds and natural fibres from spent coffee grounds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about technology, Vlachogiannis told TFN<\/em>: \u201cCoffeeco Upcycle has developed proprietary technology that extracts bioactive compounds and natural fibres from spent coffee grounds through a clean, chemical-free process. These high-value ingredients create the Auraskin skincare line, offering clinically validated benefits such as antioxidant protection, enhanced hydration, and microbiome support. Our upcycled extract has demonstrated exceptional microbiome-enhancing capacity in laboratory testing, setting it apart from generic \u2018natural\u2019 skincare ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What distinguishes Coffeeco is its complete vertical integration, from coffee waste collection to finished products, and its innovative placement of Auraskin in coffee shops, merging daily coffee culture with sustainable beauty. \u201cOur upcycled extract has shown exceptional microbiome-enhancing capacity,\u201d says Vlachogiannis. \u201cThat\u2019s where the real differentiation lies. It\u2019s not just about being natural or sustainable \u2014 it\u2019s about offering high-performance skincare that respects the skin\u2019s ecosystem while closing the loop on waste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the skincare sector, Auraskin competes with emerging sustainable beauty brands focusing on upcycled ingredients. However, its unique strategy of offering skincare \u201cto go\u201d directly in coffee shops, where the raw material originates, creates a new retail category with minimal direct competition. This approach taps into the $192 billion global speciality coffee market<\/a>, creating new touchpoints for conscious consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next for Coffeeco Upcycle?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over the next three to five years, Coffeeco Upcycle aims to establish Auraskin as a globally recognised \u201cskincare to go\u201d brand in coffee shops and lifestyle locations. Plans include expanding across Greece, launching in the UK and US markets, diversifying into new skincare formats like hand creams and face mists, strengthening its sustainability and wellness narrative, and developing strong B2B partnerships with coffee chains. While bioplastics R&D continues, the primary focus remains Auraskin\u2019s global rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffeeco Upcycle SA\u2019s cap table features leading figures in the food, sustainability, and startup sectors, including Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos<\/a>, Giannis Theodoropoulos, and Konstantinos Lambrou. New international investors include\u00a0Drake G. Behrakis<\/a>, Vasilis Bacolitsas, and Alex Hadjipateras. \u201cCoffee and the Planet are two things very close to my heart,\u201d says\u00a0Alex Hadjipateras<\/a>, \u201cso I was delighted to find a way to combine both with my latest personal investment in Coffeeco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VDK Capital plays a key role in this Seed Round, leading the entry of new international strategic investors and bringing expertise in scaling high-impact ventures. \u201cWe see immense potential in Coffeeco\u2019s ability to redefine waste as a resource and build a globally scalable circular economy model,\u201d says Vasileios Karatzenis<\/a>, Founder at VDK Capital. \u201cTheir scientific approach to upcycling and product innovation aligns with our mission to back transformative businesses that create both commercial and environmental value.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Up to 99% of coffee fruit is discarded as waste after espresso production, contributing to environmental pollution and carbon emissions. Globally, this amounts to over 23 million tons of coffee waste annually, with the majority ending up in landfills. There, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO\u2082. Coffeeco Upcycle SA transforms this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":162825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"This milestone enables Coffeeco to expand across Europe and the U.S., while scaling both its flagship Auraskin product line and its revolutionary approach to circular, science-backed innovation","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,5847,10416,25015,23016,11877,12514],"supplier":[26285,11060],"class_list":["post-162801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-bioplastics","tag-circulareconomy","tag-coffeegrounds","tag-coffeewaste","tag-naturalfibres","tag-skincare","supplier-coffeeco-upcycle","supplier-university-patras"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162801"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=162801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}