Shark Bite 18

Welcome to Shark Bite #18.

Move over Keurig, Swiss company launches plastic-free “coffee balls”

Migros, a Swiss retailer, launched a zero-waste coffee capsule system that aims to “revolutionize an industry plagued by colossal waste.” For reference, the industry they’re referring to is coffee, which produces about 100,000 tons of global waste per year.

 Look, Keurigs are great. But the plastic K-cups are bad for the environment – everyone knows that. 

If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you’re probably shaking your head in disappointment at the very thought of K-cups. We get it, you think you’re better than everyone else. 

 Well, you’re not. But that’s okay! Because CoffeeB has the solution for caffeine addicts, coffee enthusiasts, and tree huggers. 

 It blends the convenience of capsules (like K-cups) while preserving the flavor in an eco-friendly ball. Just drop the coffee balls in the machine, add water, and voila – world-class coffee without any of the waste.

 They’re currently available in France and Switzerland and being introduced in Germany in 2023. Don’t mind me, just counting down the days until I have one in my kitchen. 

 P.S. I spent last Sunday at a family-owned winery and coffee plantation learning all about how coffee is made. Next time you order Starbucks, take a moment to appreciate just how much work went into your drink. It’s a lot more than you think.

The world’s longest-living vertebrate gets a security detail

Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are the world’s longest-living vertebrates, living as long as 300-500 years. 

Before we dive in, here’s something to mess with your perception of time. There’s a very real possibility that several of these sharks have lived through both the Renaissance Period and those few weeks in 2020 when everyone was panic buying toilet paper – that’s crazy. 

Anyways, to the topic at hand… The North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) just prohibited the retention of Greenland sharks in international waters, protecting the species from bycatch. 

The IUCN estimates that 3500 of these sharks are accidentally caught by deep sea trawlers, making them a vulnerable species on the Red List. These protections prohibit targeted fishing of the species or keeping of the sharks if accidentally trapped in trawling nets. 

These protections should help them live out their long lives, nearly half a millennium.

See you next time :)

Kai

Co-Founder