About us

Grounds Up specialises in the upcycling of coffee grounds. For us, coffee grounds are not waste but a resource.

About us

Grounds Up specialises in the upcycling of coffee grounds. For us, coffee grounds are not waste but a resource.

About us

Grounds Up specialises in the upcycling of coffee grounds. For us, coffee grounds are not waste but a resource.

About Grounds up

Grounds Up is a Belgian start-up that specialises in upcycling coffee grounds, the residual product created when coffee is brewed. We believe in the importance of sustainability and reducing waste streams, which is why we have developed a unique process to reprocess coffee grounds into high-quality raw materials.

Our coffee raw material can be used in various products such as biofuels, compost, cosmetics, paper and more. By recycling coffee grounds, we contribute to a more sustainable future and reduce the burden on the environment.

Our method

We believe that the possibilities of coffee grounds are limitless. However, we understand that upcycling coffee grounds is still a developing field. That’s why we prioritize feasibility when exploring new applications.

Before we begin any new project, we conduct a thorough assessment to determine its legal, economic, environmental, and technical viability. Only after ensuring that all factors are positive, we start developing valuable applications from coffee grounds.

  • Legislation

    We check whether the application we want to manufacture meets all legal requirements and regulations

  • Economic

    All costs and potential revenues are identified to assess the financial feasibility of developing an application

  • Impact

    We analyse all possible consequences of an application such as what impact it has on the environment

  • Technical

    Unfortunately, it is not yet technically possible to start developing any kind of application, so we will first investigate the technical feasibility

Mission & vision

Our mission

Grounds Up strives for the beginning of spent coffee grounds as valuable resource. 

Our vision

We strive to establish a multi-level, highly intertwined and modular ecosystem of partners with the shared goal of creating maximum value from spent coffee grounds as a raw material, semi-finished or finished product. Aimed towards high value and volume markets.

About Grounds up

Grounds Up is a Belgian start-up that specialises in upcycling coffee grounds, the residual product created when coffee is brewed. We believe in the importance of sustainability and reducing waste streams, which is why we have developed a unique process to reprocess coffee grounds into high-quality raw materials.

Our coffee raw material can be used in various products such as biofuels, compost, cosmetics, paper and more. By recycling coffee grounds, we contribute to a more sustainable future and reduce the burden on the environment.

  • Legislation

    We check whether the application we want to manufacture meets all legal requirements and regulations

  • Economic

    All costs and potential revenues are identified to assess the financial feasibility of developing an application

  • Impact

    We analyse all possible consequences of an application such as what impact it has on the environment

  • Technical

    Unfortunately, it is not yet technically possible to start developing any kind of application, so we will first investigate the technical feasibility

Our method

We believe that the possibilities of coffee grounds are limitless. However, we understand that upcycling coffee grounds is still a developing field. That’s why we prioritize feasibility when exploring new applications.

Before we begin any new project, we conduct a thorough assessment to determine its legal, economic, environmental, and technical viability. Only after ensuring that all factors are positive, we start developing valuable applications from coffee grounds.

Mission & vision

Our mission

GroundsUp strives for the beginning of spent coffee grounds as valuable resource.

Our vision

We strive to establish a multi-level, highly intertwined and modular ecosystem of partners with the shared goal of creating maximum value from spent coffee grounds as a raw material, semi-finished or finished product. Aimed towards high value and volume markets.

Our partners

Grounds who?

About

Lukas Van Quickelberghe

Founder

Grounds Up is a company dedicated to sustainability and finding innovative solutions to tackle waste streams. Led by founder Lukas Van Quickelberghe, the company has been involved in numerous projects aimed at valorizing spent coffee grounds. What started as a school thesis has now become a reality through collaborations, accelerators, incubators, and partnerships.
Previously known as Been Coffee, Grounds Up participated in the Koning Boudewijn stichting project in collaboration with Möbius, which examined the coffee waste stream and its valorization routes. Somewhere during that time, Lukas joined the Urban Biorefinery Program from Glimps.bio During the Urban Bio Refinery programme, Lukas learned the dos and don’ts for waste stream upcycling.
From this programme, Kaffee Circulair emerged, which was an official collaboration between Been Coffee and Glimps.bio. During this time we tested our assumption in practice, thus creating our first process and application being coffee soap. Once the project ended, Grounds Up was born and ready to take its first steps. Ready to make an impact and change the way we look at coffee waste forever.

Partnership with Cordeel Group

On Tuesday 23/05, Cordeel Group proudly announced its participation in Grounds Up. Cordeel Group and Grounds Up will work together to expand and accelerate their innovations in coffee grounds upcycling with the ultimate goal of becoming the world’s largest processor of coffee waste.

Our partners

Grounds Who?

About

Lukas Van Quickelberghe

Founder

Grounds Up is a company dedicated to sustainability and finding innovative solutions to tackle waste streams. Led by founder Lukas Van Quickelberghe, the company has been involved in numerous projects aimed at valorizing spent coffee grounds. What started as a school thesis has now become a reality through collaborations, accelerators, incubators, and partnerships.
Previously known as Been Coffee, Grounds Up participated in the Koning Boudewijn stichting project in collaboration with Möbius, which examined the coffee waste stream and its valorization routes. Somewhere during that time, Lukas joined the Urban Biorefinery Program from Glimps.bio During the Urban Bio Refinery programme, Lukas learned the dos and don’ts for waste stream upcycling.
From this programme, Kaffee Circulair emerged, which was an official collaboration between Been Coffee and Glimps.bio. During this time we tested our assumption in practice, thus creating our first process and application being coffee soap. Once the project ended, Grounds Up was born and ready to take its first steps. Ready to make an impact and change the way we look at coffee waste forever.

Partnership with Cordeel Group

On Tuesday 23/05, Cordeel Group proudly announced its participation in Grounds Up. Cordeel Group and Grounds Up will work together to expand and accelerate their innovations in coffee grounds upcycling with the ultimate goal of becoming the world’s largest processor of coffee waste.

Get in touch

Get in touch