Ahlstrom has signed a multi-year agreement for the supply of its fully compostable infusion material for single-serve coffee pods. The contract is a major breakthrough for Ahlstrom in the fast-growing North American market for single-serve coffee solutions.  

Under the multiyear contract, Ahlstrom will supply its biodegradable polylactic acid-based (PLA) product made from corn starch to Club Coffee, a Canadian roaster and packaged coffee products company. The biopolymer is combined with other natural fibers to obtain the pressure resistance properties necessary for a good quality and filtering abilities needed to block residues from passing through. Club Coffee uses the material in its award-winning PurPod100 solution.

“We are very proud to partner with Club Coffee, a company known for quality and innovation in the industry,” says Omar Hoek, executive vice president at Ahlstrom’s Specialties business area. “This achievement has taken a lot effort and dedication from our team and is a perfect example of how we are executing our strategic roadmap by seeking growth via new platforms with innovative products.”

Club Coffee’s PurPod100 solution recently won the “Innovation in Bioplastics Award” by the Plastics Industry Trade Association in the U.S. The product offers consumers a single-serve coffee solution that fully breaks down  in typical municipal and industrial composting facilities in as little as five weeks. In the U.S., single-serve retail coffee sales grew by 319% between 2011 and 2015, reaching about $4.6 billion in revenue in 2015.

Ahlstrom produces PLA-based materials, which can be also used in tea bags and other food packaging solutions, at its plant in Chirnside, U.K.