From coffee to mushrooms : Designing groundwork to start a circular business

Melo investigates how design practices can support circular business development. The circular structure aims to close conventional linear productions into circular closed loops. This entails that renewable materials are eventually returned to living earth and finite materials are maintained and repaired before being recycled. The project was conducted by investigating and intervening in the systems of a local restaurant in Växjö, Sweden, and reshifting the perspective around waste, through the acknowledgment that used coffee grounds are a valuable surplus that should be used. The grounds have been used as the base substrate to grow Blue Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus Ostreatus Var. Columbinus). This produces new local ecological food and closes a loop by returning to the restaurant. It also creates value post-production as a bio-fertilizer. Melo as a project began in May 2024, but during the thesis, the aim was to establish the groundwork to develop it into a circular business, while still addressing product, system, and paradigm levels. This was conducted by utilizing design methods such as analyzing and mapping local systems, contextual interviews, stakeholder meetings, field studies, etc. Through service design methods, a gap was identified, and it was recognized that complex logistical and circular practices require close collaborations. Several touchpoints, including a website, booklet, and social media, were designed. They serve as a platform to communicate the Melo system and working model to stakeholders. The touchpoints were presented and collaboration will continue outside the university, rounding off Melo as a university project so that it can start a new beginning as a business.