The maker of the ‘world’s first beanless espresso’ has opened a 33,547 sq ft roastery in Seattle, capable of producing four million pounds of ground ‘coffee’ a year from upcycled date pits.

Why beanless? Well, despite coffee still being an affordable luxury now, the industry is facing huge challenges as the amount of land that can sustain coffee continues to drop. The favored species of coffee – Arabica – particularly struggles with weak genetic diversity and will only grow at certain temperatures which is pushing growers to move to higher altitudes as temperatures increase. Recent analysis even suggests that by 2050 the land suitable to grow Arabica could be reduced by as much as 50%. This will cause a significant reduction in production at a time where demand is on the up, particularly in large markets including China and India.

Atomo uses date seeds, ramon seeds, sunflower seed extract, fructose, pea protein, millet, lemon, guava and defatted fenugreek seeds to deliver a smooth cup of coffee that also generates 83% fewer carbon emissions and uses 70% less farmland than conventional counterparts. The company is therefore well positioned to help leading coffee players to future-proof their supply chains.

At full capacity the new roastery could supply roughly 2,000 coffee shops, and once enough traction has been generated through the first site, additional funds will be raised to build a factory capable of producing 40 million pounds a year. Efforts to prove customer demand are already off to a good start, with CEO Andy Kleitsch recently striking a deal with 58 Bluestone Lane coffee shops to get Atomo’s beanless espresso on the menu.

See more: Atomo opens ‘beanless’ coffee roastery in Seattle (agfundernews.com)