Migros, one of the largest supermarket chains in Switzerland, has launched a new revolutionary coffee machine. Unlike other brands, which use aluminium or plastic capsules, the CoffeeB machine uses fully compostable coffee balls.

Migros launches coffee machine with no aluminium or plastic capsules

At a press conference on Tuesday, the “Orange giant”, as it is known in the Swiss media, unveiled its addition to the 20 billion franc coffee capsule market. Dubbed the “CoffeeB,” the new coffee machine uses fully compostable coffee balls, instead of the more traditional aluminium or plastic capsules.

In a press release given to Watson, Migros noted that coffee capsules produce 100.000 tonnes of waste worldwide every year, according to data from Euromonitor. “Although partially recyclable, the capsules are mostly thrown in the trash,” the international company explained.

New coffee balls took five years to develop in Switzerland

"With CoffeeB, Migros combines what was not possible until now: a complete taste experience, user convenience and zero waste," noted Migros Cooperative President Fabrice Zumbrunnen. The new coffee balls are a Swiss invention and are the result of five years of research done at the Delica Food group in Birsfelden near Basel and Buchs near Aarau.

Video: CoffeeB / YouTube

In response to the announcement, an analyst at banking and investment management firm Vontobel, Jean-Philippe Bertschy, told Watson that while he thought Delica had done “excellent work” in producing such an environmentally friendly product, “It remains to be seen how it will be received by consumers, insofar as, among other things, it is necessary to buy or receive a new machine. Technological innovation does not necessarily translate into commercial success.”

Coffee ball machine to launch in Germany in spring 2023

Migros has already launched the machines and capsules in France and in cities and cantons in Switzerland. The product will be available in Migros, M-Electronics and Digitec Galaxus stores under the Café Royal brand. For those in the federal republic wanting an aluminium and plastic-free capsule coffee, the company plans to release the product in Germany by the spring of 2023.