The Innovation

Atomo stands for atom in Italian. What Atomo Coffee has done is create a new molecular brew from upcycled ingredients, such as sunflower husks and watermelon seeds. Jarret Stopforth, chief scientist and cofounder, said to Bloomberg, “We like to think of ourselves as the Tesla of coffee.”

How It works

After much investment in science, the founders found a way to reverse engineer the taste of a green coffee bean. In discussing the uniqueness of the coffee, Stopforth explains, “By evaluating the individual compounds in coffee we were able to map the most significant ones contributing to the characteristic aroma and flavor of coffee. Once we identified the most significant compounds we evaluated upcycled and natural plant-based material with high sustainability indices as a source for extracting and generating the blend that enables us to create a coffee “dashboard” – with this we can make coffee without the bean and tweak our dashboard to create different flavor and aroma profiles.”

In terms of being located in Seattle, the Atomo CEO and cofounder Andy Kleitsch said, “Seattle is the perfect confluence of tech and craft coffee, it only makes sense that coffee is reinvented here. Our tech creates a great tasting cup of coffee, that provides consumers with a sustainable choice, as well as greater value for our farmers.”

The Products

Atomo Coffee offers its cold brew in two flavors: Ultra Smooth Molecular Cold Brew and Classic Molecular Cold Brew. According to their website, Classic Roast, “presents a well-rounded medium roast cup with hints of cocoa, dark fruit and a whisper of smoke.” Ultra Smooth Roast “entices black coffee non-believers with an indulgent wave of natural caramelization and hints at a richer, sweeter rise on the front of the flavor.”

Environmental Impact

Atomo’s use of upcycled ingredients results in less of a dependence on fossil fuels, as little transportation is needed to deliver the ingredients. Also, by avoiding the necessity for food waste, they are part of the solution to move away from landfills that are responsible for releasing enormous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In addition, by not relying on actual cocoa beans, deforestation is avoided, for no new land is needed. All of this points to Atomo Coffee’s commitment to address global warming.