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FOOD WASTE IS A PROBLEM.

Currently, 30% of food is thrown away globally, creating 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions annually. When food is wasted, the natural resources used to produce the food are wasted as well - that's water and energy! Meanwhile, as global warming continues to progress, weather patterns are changing. This makes it even harder for farmers to grow and maintain crops.

This vicious cycle is creating a global waste-to-resource gap.

OUR STORY

In 2019, Bay Area native Aaron Feigelman learned about our global problem with food waste and resource insecurity while researching vegetable oil production.

Aaron focused his senior thesis on the issue at UCLA, where he researched methods of upcycling food waste. He concentrated on coffee, the most widely-traded global commodity behind petroleum.

In 2020, he created The Kawa Project - a scientific movement existing at the intersection of materials science and food waste.

OUR MISSION

To mitigate climate change by developing functional materials from food waste

First, we collect and dry used coffee grounds from coffee shops and industrial brewers.

Then, we extract and refine the oils in the grounds using clean chemical processes.

Finally, the oil is fractionated and ready for use in personal care and food products.

OUR PRODUCTS

Our first two products are focused on personal care: an antioxidant-packed coffee oil and a multipurpose vegetable oil.

Coffee Oil

Kawa Coffee Oil is packed with caffeine, polyphenols, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and coffee aroma. Scientific studies have shown that caffeine and polyphenols are known to provide the following benefits for the skin (comparable to rosehip oil):

Wrinkle-prevention
Moisturizing
Cellulite Mitigation

Refined oil

Kawa Carrier Oil’s predominant fatty acids are linoleic and palmitic acid, making it unique compared to other liquid vegetable oils. After refining, the translucent, low-odor oil performs in multiple use cases: