Nutraceuticals World (NW): Can you explain what Coffeeberry^® Cascara is, including its properties and active compounds, and the potential health benefits it may offer?

Ryan Wories, Director of Marketing, FutureCeuticals: Coffeeberry^® Cascara is a patented, powdered extract derived from upcycled coffee fruit that delivers concentrated antioxidant polyphenols, making it ideal for the functional beverage market. By preserving the antioxidant goodness within coffee fruit, Coffeeberry^® Cascara allows product developers and marketers to create on-trend products that bring attention to the benefits of sustainability and upcycling. It also allows them to meet consumers’ healthy lifestyle goals, which include consuming antioxidants, natural phytonutrient compounds known to help your body resist the stress that daily life puts on our cells.

NW: How big an issue is waste in coffee production? What is upcycling, and what impact can it have on this problem?

Wories: According to the International Coffee Council, about 11 billion tons of coffee beans are consumed every year by way of traditional coffee production. Approximately 40% of the coffee cherry is the cascara, or the coffee fruit surrounding the bean, which is discarded during typical coffee production. This means around 4.4 billion tons of cascara are wasted every year—that’s a lot of leftover fruit!

Unfortunately, farmers have struggled to find economical ways to reuse the fruit, and much has simply been left to decay, which can result in a buildup of harmful toxins that can contaminate the local land and water. As sustainability increasingly becomes a priority and supply chains improve, opportunities have risen to divert cascara from its traditional waste stream into an upcycled food. The Upcycling Food Association defines upcycled foods as ones “that use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment.” Coffeeberry^® Cascara impacts coffee fruit waste by upcycling the cascara and preserving its antioxidant goodness for an innovative and sustainable superfruit ingredient ideal for the functional beverage market.

NW: Would you explain how you approach sourcing, production processes, and sustainability of operations?

Wories: Coffeeberry^® Cascara is derived from coffee fruit sourced from sustainable farms, reinforcing our commitment to people and the planet. Unlike traditional coffee harvests, our coffee fruit is handpicked at family-owned farms in an eco-friendly process that captures and preserves all the benefits of the plant—including the antioxidant polyphenols. The preserved cascara then undergoes a patented extraction process that transforms the coffee fruit into a beverage-ready powder while delivering a standardized and concentrated level of antioxidant polyphenols. We believe that through responsible sourcing, we can power a better tomorrow and create a brighter future for the coffee fruit industry.


NW: What product applications can Coffeeberry^® Cascara be used in? What formulation potential does it offer?

Wories: Coffeeberry^® Cascara is ideal in a wide range of functional beverages such as coffees, teas, sparkling waters, hard seltzers, brews, energy drinks, barista-inspired beverages, and more. Since it is water extracted at low temperatures without harsh solvents, Coffeeberry^® Cascara delivers a truly clean, soluble form of cascara. The patented manufacturing process this material undergoes also produces a dried powder that is white in color and light in flavor, making it extremely versatile and easy to incorporate into a variety of beverage formulations. Coffeeberry^® Cascara is also available in organic, offering product formulators even more opportunity to create the next on-trend consumer beverage favorite.

NW: The beverage market is crowded and competitive. What tips would you give brands and product developers to succeed today?

Wories: Meeting changing consumer expectations is the key to success in today’s competitive beverage market. Many consumers are becoming more eco-conscious with platforms like social media helping raise awareness about the ongoing issues regarding the state of the environment. As a result of this heightened awareness, consumers are looking to reduce their ecological footprint by purchasing from brands that prioritize sustainability. Beverage products that highlight reuse and reduce aspects of their packaging or ingredients will appeal to these eco-conscious buyers. Crafting drinks using upcycled materials and transparently sharing how resources are effectively being used and diverted from landfills is resonating with consumers. It should also serve as motivation for more beverage brands to rise to the challenge and bring more sustainable and upcycled innovations to the market.