In Hawaii alone, over three million pounds of coffee grounds go into our landfills or are shipped off to the mainland. To move one step closer to reducing the footprint of coffee waste, Kope Soap Co. partners with local coffee shops and cafes to upcycle coffee grounds into artisan crafted soaps and scrubs. HI Now host Jobeth Devera is with Co-Founder & CEO of Kope Soap Tate Castillo and Abigail Joslyn from Honolulu Coffee Company to talk about their new partnership.

Castillo says that after learning about how much waste used coffee grounds create, he knew there had to be a better solution.

“With the popularity of coffee scrubs, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to upcycle the coffee to create value for people and our environment,” he says. Upcycling is the process of transforming byproducts into new materials of better quality or for better environmental value. “This concept embodies the values I learned from Kamehameha Schools where from an early age we were taught to malama aina, or care for the land, by focusing on sustainability.”

Kope Soap just recently partnered with Honolulu Coffee Company, another business dedicated to taking care of the environment. You can get your special edition Honolulu Coffee x Kope Soap starting November 1, 2019, at Honolulu Coffee Company locations in Ala Moana shopping center, the Moana Surfrider Hotel, and at the Experience Center on Kapiolani Boulevard.

Kope Soap also just stated its own non-profit, Kope Community Foundation, to expand its upcycling into things like alternative biofuel and organic fertilizer. If you or someone you know is looking to get involved in saving the planet, you can contact them at kopecommunityfoundation@gmail.com.

You can find Kope Soap at various pop-up events and farmer’s markets around Oahu. To find out where the products will be next, follow @kopesoap on Instagram. Also, visit kopesoap.com to order great scents such as Plumeria, Gardenia, Yuzu and more! Use code “hinow25” to get 25 percent off your purchase.

For more information: kopesoap.com, Instagram: @kopesoap