With coffee capsule manufacturers racing to create the most ‘sustainable’ products on the market, Andrew Richardson deliberates over the environmental cases for aluminium versus compostable – and how these claims really stack up for consumers
The most important innovation Nespresso created 30-plus years ago wasn’t just the coffee capsule itself. The humble coffee capsule allows different palates to enjoy completely different coffees, through the same machine, delivered within 25 seconds of one another.
Providing choice in made-to-order drinks isn’t usually an efficient approach – with capsules it is. Thankfully, each of us has different taste preferences – wouldn’t our coffee world be a sad place if everyone loved instant? Offering just one coffee will never deliver 100% market share, because not everyone who tastes that product will love it.
Twenty years ago, Nespresso was virtually the only player in the single-serve coffee space. They’ve always restricted where they sell their capsules – their own boutiques, or online – but never on supermarket shelves. The expiry of Nespresso’s patents brought ‘compatible’ competition from brands determined to build sales through channels where Nespresso wasn’t present.
