The tins are made from tinplate, which is steel with a thin coating of tin for rust protection. It can be recycled and made with a one-way valve without jeopardising quality.
The program began in Bali in December 2019, which would roll out across Indonesia in 2020.
The company hopes it can lead the way for other companies in Indonesia to be more sustainable in its production.
Coffee consumption
Coffee consumption in Indonesia has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, as many young Indonesians were influenced by coffee habits in countries such as Australia and the United States.
According to Statista.com, Indonesia consumed approximately 282 million kg of coffee per year. This results in approximately one billion pieces of rubbish from coffee packaging alone from 1kg bags to single serves (5g).
Shae Macnamara, founder of Expat. Roasters said: "I truly believe it is almost impossible to evolve in business without considering your carbon footprint and the impact on the environment.
“Our plans are to be as conscious as possible and look at every area of our business and see if we can do it better, from waste and energy in the roastery and our cafes to upcycling whatever we can,” Macnamara told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Wholesale and retail business
“Our customers are wholesale customers. We provide our beans to over 200 outlets, so we now deliver our beans in the tins which means they no longer have the coffee packaging to dispose of,” Macnamara said.
Within Indonesia, their products can be found in most cities including Jakarta, Bundung, Surubya and Jogjakarta.
The company’s coffee beans are also sold online at Tokepedia.com, and Macnamara told us they will begin selling on their website for international customers soon.
Macnamara also told us they plan to expand to Asia, Australia, Europe, and especially Middle East, where they see keen interest.
Aside from wholesale, the company also has a retail business where its 200g coffee bags were replaced with a 200g aluminum tin. The company launched it under the ‘Good Coffee Swap’ campaign whereby customers were encouraged to return the tin and received IDR 10,000 (US$0.70) off their next coffee tin purchase.
As a coffee manufacturer, the company sources 95% of its beans in Indonesia, importing the rest elsewhere.
We asked if their beans are sourced sustainably, which Macnamara replied, “We deal directly with the farmers so we work with them around sustainability programs such as water reduction programs and reusing coffee farm wastage into other things like fertiliser.”
Other sustainable efforts by the company include using glass bottles for its 250ml cold brew coffee which can be reused and reduce wastage, as well as up-cycling leftover brewed coffee into soap bars.
Macnamara said they are constantly looking at other ways to make their business more sustainable such as turning the hessian sacks that the green beans are supplied in into clothing.