The Problem

The uniquely American practice of making room for cream wastes water, coffee, and energy. Yet, millions of people do it every day. One might be excused for dumping an ounce or two in the garbage without first being aware of how much goes into each drop, but coffee production demands a disproportionally large percentage of the world’s natural resources.

It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of coffee beans.

By the time it gets brewed, about 1000 ounces of fresh water will have gone into the production of each ounce of coffee. In other words, it takes about 40 gallons of water to produce each cup. That adds up to about half of the daily water usage in an average American household, or several showers and a laundry load for each cup of coffee.

Making Room To-go cups are typically served filled to the brim which is fine if you like your coffee black, but this leaves milk and cream lovers with a dilema. Do they ask the barista to leave some room, or do they order a coffee without room so they can get it just right at the condiment bar? If they ask the barista to do it there’s a good chance they’ll get their cup back with too much room, or too little. In most cases it’s less risky and more convenient for the customer to take matters into their own hands. Either way, coffee gets wasted and the retail experience becomes less than optimal. Sure, some people ask for room but coffee drinkers tend to be a picky bunch when it comes to adding milk and cream. Everyone is different, and everyone expects their coffee to taste just right – especially when it costs them about $2.00 a cup.

Making room is a practice that feels benign – if not completely trivial – but its impact on the entire coffee industry is difficult to ignore. There’s no better example of our indifference to the environment than throwing away food before the first bite, yet that’s precisely the scenario that plays out every day in thousands of coffee shops across the nation.

The Waste

Consumers are becoming increasingly disconnected from the ingredients that go into the products we consume daily, and it’s difficult comprehend the waste associated with making room for cream without taking into consideration the coffee industry’s demand for resources. It takes a vast network of people and machines to produce and transport seven million tons of coffee to every country on earth.

Personal Water Waste Calculator

	Coffee Waste	Water Waste	Annual Waste
	1 ounce	8 gallons	2,920 gallons
	2 ounces	16 gallons	5,840 gallons
	3 ounces	24 gallons	8,760 gallons
	4 ounces	32 gallons	11,680 gallons
	5 ounces	40 gallons	14,600 gallons
	6 ounces	48 gallons	17,520 gallons

3 ounces of coffee = 24 gallons of water X 365 days = 8,760 gallons.

The table above illustrates the actual waste associated with making room. For instance, the annual global impact (gallons wasted) of a person who dumps 3 ounces of coffee per day is 8,760 gallons.
In this example a customer dumps 3 ounces of coffee in the garbage every day; however, it might also represent a customer who dumps 1 ounce of coffee three times a day.  While the actual waste varies from customer to customer, one thing is clear – the waste adds up. Now consider the millions of people who make room for 1,2, 3, or more ounces of coffee a day.

OUR SOLUTION