Ingenuity that Builds Business and Brands

Club Coffe PurPod 100

Breakthrough Ingenuity

Loved and Loathed: Coffee Pods

The single serve coffee pod has been a tremendous success. Consumers love it. What no one loves is the environmental impact of the non-recyclable used coffee pods. “I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,” John Sylvan, the coffee pod inventor told The Atlantic in an interview. Why? The billions of used coffee pods are a serious environmental problem that created a major consumer backlash.

Winning the Market Race for an Environmental Alternative

To solve the environmental problem, renowned innovator, Club Coffee stepped up to the plate and partnering with scientists at the University of Guelph, proposed the idea of creating a compostable, bio-resin coffee pod.

Turning a clever vision into a reality is another matter.

While some packaging companies declined to accept the challenge of turning theory into reality,
Fourmark welcomed it.

Getting it Right the 50th Time

There were challenges and the idea didn’t just roll off the assembly line overnight. First, there was the challenge to develop the appropriate tooling. There were temperature tolerance challenges, consistency challenges and even challenges getting various government jurisdictions to recognize and accept the validity of the product as being a true, compostable product.

Scientists Devise Idea of Chaff Bio-Resin

The University of Guelph was the science partner who devised the bio-resin formulation but turning their theory into reality wasn’t simple. Early samples were either too brittle or could not stand up to temperature variances. There were a myriad of factors to be addressed before the vision of a compostable bio resin coffee pod could be turned into a market reality.

Loblaws News Release

"Our company and customers challenge the notion that convenience packaging is a justification for waste," said Galen Weston, Executive Chairman and President, Loblaw Companies Limited. "We expect this product launch and the Canadian innovation behind it will re-invent the category, helping our customers to enjoy their coffee without sacrificing their commitment to the environment."

Biodegradable Coffee Pods Taking-off

To say Club Coffee’s innovation is building business would be an understatement. Major coffee brands across North America are jumping on the bandwagon to provide their customers with an environmentally friendly alternative. Guilt free coffee again. Congratulation Club Coffee.

Another Ingenious Fourmark
PAC Award Winner

Brand and Sales Building Innovations

From ice cream and coffee to subfloor and bucket handles, we excel at results-driven contract moulding. Learn more about our many ingenious innovations in our Resources menu.

Spoon in lid: Ingenuity and collaboration at work.

The spoon-in-lid for Nestlé is one of the best examples of Fourmark ingenuity.