MELO, FROM COFFEE TO MUSHROOMS – Designing groundwork to start a circular business

MELO investigates how design practices can support circular business development. The circular structure aims to close conventional linear productions into circular closed loops. This entails that renewable materials are eventually returned to living earth and finite materials are maintained and repaired before being recycled. The project was conducted by investigating and intervening in the systems of a local restaurant in Växjö, Sweden, and reshifting the perspective around waste. Through the acknowledgment that used coffee grounds are a valuable surplus that should be used. The grounds have been used as the base substrate to grow Blue Oyster mushrooms. During the thesis, Melo focuses and explores how design tools and methods can be used locally to establish the groundwork for a circular business.

Framing the challenge

The global food system places a large strain on our planet and is the third leading cause of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. A contributing factor is our linear economic system of handling and managing surplus. Used coffee grounds have extreme value and are high in proteins, cellulose, fiber, and acids. Moreover, only one percent of coffee beans end up in a cup of coffee (Westling 2023) 

“It would be foolish to throw such organic treasure straight on to a compost heap or, far worse, into a rubbish bin, but this happens in homes, offices and coffee shops worldwide” (Raworth, 2017)

In May 2024 Melo as a project began, it aimed to recognize and utilize surplus to regenerate toward a circular material flow in local, business, and natural ecosystems. The project has worked with a local restaurant PM & Vänner and their coffee grounds were picked up on a weekly basis and then processed. The establishment of a new system is not only theoretical but is practically applied to the local and current context.

The Melo system

After the brewing process coffee grounds are pasteurized by the hot water, this means they are clean material to grow mushrooms.

They are quickly collected, processed and mixed with mushroom mycelium. After the mycelium has colonized the coffee grounds, the mushrooms will begin to grow. They will be ready to harvest the next week.

After the mushroom harvest, used substrate is left, this goes back into local farms as a biofertilizer or compost to produce more fresh and local food.

More than problem solving

It was determined that during thesis addressing and “solving” the system was simply not enough.

“Problem solving wasn’t enough. What about beauty, feeling, and sensation? What about humor, conflict, and interpretation?” (Lupton, 2017)

For it to be working circular system, deep collaboration was needed. To utilize the research gathered in a contextual and constructive manner, personas were developed. These are not stereotypes but are archetypes based on the tangible hands-on qualitative and quantitative data gathered. They aimed to encompass three main types of stakeholders. (Stickdorn et al. 2018)

These personas were utilized to build user journey maps. Focusing on one main actor going through several steps of the interaction, the user journey could provide a way to visualize the system before implementing it into practice. The goal was to identify further gaps in customer experiences and understand the touchpoints that could be developed to facilitate the system interaction. (Stickdorn et al. 2018)

With this recognition, it was identified that intangible touchpoints such as social media, company email, and a website would be useful to communicate the project. Moreover, a booklet should be created and serve as an invitation to future stakeholders. 

These touchpoints allow the stakeholders to interface with the new system, while doing so they engage and value coffee in a new way. Used coffee grounds are no longer something they discard but instead, keep and give to Melo. The objective is that this acts as a leverage point and creates a cascading effect to change the larger value and paradigm surrounding waste.

Designing touchpoints

Through an iterative and user driven process, a website and booklet for Melo were designed.

The touchpoints were utilized as tools to present to stakeholders working within the Växjö Municipality,  they have now connected Melo to future collaborators. 

Melo is also to be presented at Pecha Kucha, a gastronomy event held at Boda Glasbruk on the 25th of May.  Local producers, artisans, and chefs are to talk about their work and how it relates to sustainability. The aim is to establish potential collaborations and customer interest.

Beyond these aspects, several meetings are planned with local restaurants and cafes where these touchpoints will be utilized. Melo and collaborations will continue beyond the education. The project is now closed as a university project and ready to start as a circular business.

www.melo-mushrooms.se

“In simple terms, part of bringing about change is working out what kind of future we want, articulating it and repeating it more clearly and confidently, then embodying it in the work we do, sharing that knowledge and doing it again, better.”