Growers and Grocers

Back in July, Costco’s monthly magazine, The Costco Connection, discussed a lot of “green” efforts that the popular warehouse store had undertaken to be more environmentally friendly.  It turns out that their green issue took on a life of its own, as Costco members wrote in their suggestions, questions and complaints.

Two such Costco members, Chad McNair and Randy Clayton, are currently working on a way that they can do business together, but in terms of taking “going green” to a whole new level.  Chad McNair is the President of Aspen Beverage company, the supplier who manufactures the coffee base for the Latte Freezes that Costco serves in their food courts.  The Latte Freeze generates an awful lot of coffee grounds, so much so that Aspen Beverage has to pay to get the grinds taken away to landfills. 

But now through some proactive thinking and networking, McNair reached out to fellow Costco member, Randy Clayton of Millberger’s Landscaping and Nursery.  How are they connecting?  Millsberger’s will be taking the coffee grounds from Aspen and creating an environmentally friendly organic coffee compost to use at their landscaping sites.  How cool is that?

As Clayton told The Costco Connection in the September issue, “The coffee grounds act like a wetting agent and hold moisture real well.  It’s also very acidic, and that seems to do well in these areas where the soil has high alkalinity.”

McNair summed it up, “This is a win for everyone.”

Talk about one man’s trash…

Photo from MorgueFile.