bio-bean
bio-bean is a UK-founded circular-economy company that recycles spent coffee grounds into commercial bio-products, including Coffee Logs, Biomass Pellets, and Bio-based Applications, serving consumer and industrial customers across the UK and EU.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What bio-bean does
bio-bean is a UK-based green-technology company founded in 2012 in London that recycles spent coffee grounds into commercial bio-products. It collects discarded coffee waste from commercial sources and processes it through proprietary technology into three product lines: Coffee Logs (a consumer solid fuel), Biomass Pellets (an industrial-grade biofuel), and Bio-based Applications (industrial feedstocks serving green chemistry and materials markets). The company serves both consumer and industrial customers primarily in the UK and EU, using a sales-led go-to-market motion and monetizing through direct hardware/product sales. bio-bean is positioned at the intersection of waste valorization and renewable fuels, converting an urban waste stream into substitutable fossil-fuel alternatives.
The company has raised approximately $7.95M across six funding rounds between 2014 and 2021, with the largest single round being a $5.16M raise in April 2019 syndicated via ClearlySo, followed by a $1.55M round from Gresham House Renewable Energy VCTs in November 2019 and a GBP1.25M round in September 2021 anchored by Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2. Capital sources skew toward impact-oriented investors and UK renewable-energy VCTs, consistent with the company's environmental positioning. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, and the senior team has expanded to include a CFO (Peter Griffiths), CCO (George May), Head of Marketing (Jessica Folkerts), CTO (Ben Mills-Lamptey), and founder Arthur Kay, indicating institutionalization of the commercial function.
No AI/ML capabilities are evident in the disclosed information; the business model is physical-product-based and engineering-driven. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no customer logos or named anchors are present in the input, suggesting a horizontal, fragmented customer base rather than concentrated enterprise contracts.
bio-bean firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- bio-bean
- Website
- https://bio-bean.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- bio-bean is a UK-founded circular-economy company that recycles spent coffee grounds into commercial bio-products, including Coffee Logs, Biomass Pellets, and Bio-based Applications, serving consumer and industrial customers across the UK and EU.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
bio-bean industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biomass Fuels
- NAICS
- Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)
Keywords
Where bio-bean is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
bio-bean business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Bio-product Sales: Sale of recycled bio-products derived from discarded coffee grounds including Coffee Logs and biomass pellets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
bio-bean product offering
Product offeringCore offering
bio-bean collects discarded coffee grounds from coffee shops, offices, and food service operators and processes them into bio-products. Its core product line includes Coffee Logs (biomass fuel logs for heating), Biomass Pellets (pelletized bio-fuel for energy systems), and other bio-based applications. The company creates a closed-loop system that diverts coffee waste from landfills and converts it into renewable energy products.
Product overview
bio-bean operates as a circular economy company that transforms discarded coffee grounds into a portfolio of bio-products. The core product line consists of Coffee Logs (biomass fuel logs), Biomass Pellets (pelletized bio-fuel), and Bio-based Applications (various bio-based products). These products are manufactured from recycled coffee waste, creating a sustainable closed-loop system that diverts coffee grounds from landfills and converts them into renewable energy and consumer products. The company is expanding its product range and market presence in the UK and EU markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Coffee Logs: Biomass pellets made from recycled coffee grounds
Products and services
- Coffee Logs
- Biomass Pellets
- Bio-based Applications
Companies that use bio-bean
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
bio-bean technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
bio-bean partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
bio-bean competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Enviva: Largest global producer of wood pellets for biomass heating and power generation. Directly comparable to bio-bean as a biomass fuel manufacturer selling into the same renewable heating customer base, though Enviva uses forestry residue rather than coffee waste as feedstock.
- Pinnacle Renewable Energy: Industrial wood pellet manufacturer supplying biomass heating and power markets. Comparable to bio-bean's Biomass Pellets business in product format, customer type, and end-use application, though using wood rather than coffee feedstock.
Broad incumbents
- Drax Group: UK-based incumbent and the world's largest biomass power generator. Operates as a scaled downstream offtaker and producer in the same biomass heating/power value chain bio-bean serves with its pellets and Coffee Logs.
- Novamont: European bio-based chemicals and materials company turning renewable feedstocks into consumer and industrial products. Comparable to bio-bean's 'Bio-based Applications' direction and circular-economy positioning, though at much larger scale and across multiple feedstocks.
Emerging players
- TerraCycle: Circular-economy company that collects and recycles hard-to-recycle waste streams into new products. Comparable to bio-bean in the 'waste-to-product' business model and ESG positioning, though operating across many waste categories rather than a single feedstock.
- Re-Char: Biochar producer that converts organic waste into soil amendments and bioenergy products. Comparable to bio-bean in the waste-to-bio-product thesis and proprietary conversion technology, and potentially adjacent to bio-bean's 'Bio-based Applications' category.
- Carbon Gold: UK-based biochar and biomass products company serving horticulture, agriculture, and energy applications. Comparable to bio-bean geographically (UK focus) and in the bio-based product portfolio, particularly the Bio-based Applications line.
Others
- Bioenergy International: Information and industry services provider for the bioenergy sector. Relevant as an ecosystem reference point for bio-bean's biomass fuel market rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
bio-bean social profiles
Digital presencebio-bean financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
bio-bean leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
bio-bean funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
bio-bean M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about bio-bean
What does bio-bean do?
bio-bean collects discarded coffee grounds from coffee shops, offices, and food service operators and processes them into bio-products. Its core product line includes Coffee Logs (biomass fuel logs for heating), Biomass Pellets (pelletized bio-fuel for energy systems), and other bio-based applications. The company creates a closed-loop system that diverts coffee waste from landfills and converts it into renewable energy products.
When was bio-bean founded?
bio-bean was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is bio-bean based?
bio-bean is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does bio-bean make money?
One revenue line is on record: bio-product Sales.
Who are bio-bean's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Enviva and Pinnacle Renewable Energy. Broad incumbents are Drax Group and Novamont. Emerging players are TerraCycle, Re-Char and Carbon Gold. Bioenergy International is listed as an others.
Does bio-bean have an API?
No public API is recorded for bio-bean.
What industry is bio-bean in?
bio-bean's product category is Biomass Fuels. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAJAD, Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass). Its NAICS code is 221117 and its SIC code is 4953.