Saving money, reducing its impact on the environment and continuing to enjoy a good coffee as if you were at the local bar, this is the bet of the French creators of Caps Me. Their solution, simple and practical, allows you to fill your capsules yourself, without losing a coffee bean.
You appreciate the flavor of Espresso coffees, you have the right machine to make them at home, but remorse assails you: every year, according to an article published by the Guardian in 2019, 20 billion coffee capsules are thrown away and only 1 in 5 is recycled. So what to do?
To overcome this situation, two student-engineers from the Ile-de-France, Thibaut and Jean, have designed an innovative and practical solution. Caps Me was born in 2020 in full containment based on a simple but obvious idea to them: the need to reuse coffee capsules and to be able to refill them easily using a charger.
Reusable coffee capsules already exist, but very few people use them, because it is not easy to fill
Practical and ecological
The bet was therefore to design a filling mechanism that a child could usebringing that side to it”playful” previously absent.
Before, we were there with his little spoon and his capsule, we put it everywhere. Now, with our charger, we do it in a snap
In 15 seconds, watch in hand, the capsule is filled and ready to be inserted into the machine. A stainless steel capsule that will suffice to clean and rinse with water for next use.
– Caps Me
Even the operculum used to cover the capsule is compostable. Made from corn starch, it is made in France, just like the shaker printed in Nantes by 3D printing and assembled in Palaiseau in an ESAT (Establishment and support service through work).
A virtuous cycle for the creators of Caps Me who also offer roasted coffee in France in the kit sold for 69 euros (The prices of Caps Me have evolved since the filming of this video in which the price of 59 euros is announced).
And besides, we make money
Whether Caps Me allows you to realign your consciousness in the face of environmental disaster related to aluminum capsulesthis solution also offers substantial savings.
On average, a kit pays for itself in 4 months, because a reusable capsule costs 3 times less than a disposable capsule
– Caps Me
In summary, according to the inventors of Caps Meif a couple’s budget for disposable capsules is 540 euros per year today, it will be reduced to 290 euros tomorrow with their product, a great saving of 250 euros.
In 2021, Thibaut and Jean won a Gold medal at the Concours Lépine. Last April, they even claimed 7,000 kits sold and nearly 2 million capsules used: “This is equivalent to more than 2 tons of aluminum waste avoided since the beginning of the adventure“, they add.
Come on, would you like a little coffee for the road?
More information
The Caps Me website
It changes life spotlights great French innovations. These sometimes unusual objects or which change from the ordinary bring a real answer to certain small annoyances of everyday life.