‘Bean-Free Coffee’ Made From Food Waste Stirs Up Curiosity At Cafés
Images courtesy of Prefer Coffee
Let's spill the beans—or rather, the lack thereof. Prefer, a visionary Singapore-based startup, is stirring the coffee pot with an innovative twist: coffee without the coffee beans. Founded by Jake Berber, with a background in neuroscience, and Tan Ding Jie, a food scientist, this duo is on a mission to brew sustainability with our beloved coffee rituals, one cup at a time.
Not your typical arabica blend, Prefer is waking up the industry with an eco-friendly concoction made from food waste, comprising soya bean pulp collected from a local soymilk chain, day-old bread from a nationwide bread producer, and spent barley grains from beer breweries. The process, including fermentation, takes a mere 48 hours from start to finish, standing in contrast to the years required for coffee trees to mature.
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Image courtesy of Prefer Coffee
This new brew fits right into your morning routine, no special gadgets required. Baristas can prepare and froth it using the usual methods, while drinkers can sip it just like traditional coffee. The idea is to make switching over pretty much as smooth as a well-made latte, complete with the frothy art on top.
Image courtesy of Prefer Coffee
Prefer Coffee is caffeine-free by nature, but for those like us who need that kick, there’s an option to do it by adding tea-derived caffeine powder back in.
Image courtesy of Prefer Coffee
Whether you’re in the mood for a robust espresso or a frothy cappuccino, this bean-free coffee promises to deliver. Yet, the journey of taste adaptation is an ongoing saga. While the innovative blend has found its stride in mixed beverages, offering a unique malted flavor with umami undertones, its unusual origins are given away when served neat. As such, the challenge of perfecting it for the purists—those who prefer their espresso unadulterated—is underway. But the team is on it, experimenting and tasting, all in the name of science and a good cup of Joe.
Image via Prefer Coffee
Since its introduction to select cafés in December 2023, Prefer has been percolating interest and curiosity in 14 food and beverage outlets across the region, with the hope that the ritual of coffee drinking remains uninterrupted by the changing tides of agricultural viability and environmental concerns.
Image courtesy of Prefer Coffee
Image courtesy of Prefer Coffee
Prefer isn’t alone in this invigorating quest. Seattle-based startup Atomo is also on the frontline, inventing a ‘Molecular Coffee’ that deconstructs and reconstructs the coffee experience without the bean. By tapping into the molecular makeup of coffee and sourcing ingredients from upcycled plant waste, Atomo offers a different blend of sustainability and science, reducing the carbon footprint associated with coffee production by a staggering 93%.
[via The Straits Times and CNA Lifestyle, images courtesy of Prefer Coffee]
