The South Carolina-based coffee company is leveraging Waldner’s expertise to package its groundbreaking aluminum Keurig cups. By replacing plastic with aluminum, Cambio Roasters aims to reduce the environmental impact of coffee pod consumption.
Waldner North America (WNA) has teamed up with coffee company Cambio Roasters to launch the first aluminum coffee pods for Keurig brewers, known as K-cups. Led by former Keurig Green Mountain Chief Innovation Officer Kevin Hartley, Cambio Roasters relies on Waldner’s custom-engineered filling and sealing equipment to package the delicate aluminum cups.
The introduction of aluminum K-cups to the North American market marks a significant advancement toward sustainability. According to Hartley, 40 million plastic coffee pods end up in landfills and oceans daily. In contrast, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, with more than 60% of all aluminum ever produced still in circulation.
The new coffee pods also improve product quality, as aluminum provides a much more effective barrier against oxygen, light and moisture when compared to plastic. This helps preserve the coffee’s aroma, flavor and freshness for longer time.
“Our landfills are growing at an alarming rate, so we knew we needed to introduce recyclable aluminum pods quickly. There’s also no sense in compromising the quality of the world's best organic coffees— expertly roasted and curated—by placing them in a porous plastic vessel,” Hartley said. "To bring the aluminum K-cups to the market, we needed a partner experienced in sustainable packaging solutions, who could provide highly efficient machinery to handle the cups seamlessly. Waldner proved to be the right partner.”
Working together
Julian Stauffer, CEO of WNA, explained that Waldner’s engineers in Germany and North America collaborated closely with Cambio Roasters' team to develop a recyclable and compost-friendly packaging combination for Keurig brewing systems’ end users. This innovation ensures reliability across the aluminum K-cup supply chain processes, from material sourcing and production to post-brewing recyclability.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Cambio Roasters. We share a strong commitment to advancing sustainability in the food and beverage industry and a sense of urgency to drive meaningful change,” Stauffer said. “It’s been an incredible journey since Kevin and his team approached us with the vision of creating the first aluminum K-cups. The process involved extensive work on both packaging materials and equipment design, along with numerous tests, until we achieved the ideal solution for these innovative cups. We’re excited to be part of such a groundbreaking product.”
Headquartered in Germany, Waldner has led numerous initiatives over the past 50 years to promote environmentally friendly operations in the food packaging industry, including developing technologies to minimize waste and increase efficiency. The company specializes in custom-engineered food packaging systems and is globally recognized for its advanced filling accuracy and cutting-edge sealing technology.
To learn more about WNA’s advanced filling and sealing equipment, click here.
For more information, please contact:
