Coffee Chaff Napkins Now Used in Japanese Cafés

Cafés around the world are increasingly looking for ways to reduce waste and embrace sustainable materials without sacrificing quality or feel. A new innovation out of Japan addresses both environmental concerns and customer experience — by turning a little-known coffee byproduct into something you can actually touch during your visit: napkins.

The new napkins are made with upcycled coffee chaff — the thin, silvery skin that covers green coffee beans — and replace a portion of traditional wood pulp. They’re already in use at Tully’s Coffee locations across Japan and will be available nationwide starting in early September.

What Is Coffee Chaff and Why Does It Matter?

Coffee chaff is the thin, papery outer layer that covers green coffee beans. During the roasting process, most of this husk naturally flakes off due to the high heat and the Maillard reaction taking place inside the bean. Roasters typically collect and discard this lightweight material, though some have begun finding creative uses for it, such as compost, mulch, or in animal bedding. Until now, though, few had thought to mix it into consumer paper products like napkins.

How Coffee Chaff Ends Up in Your Napkin

The new coffee chaff-infused napkins are the result of a collaboration between Mizobata Printing (Mizobatashikoinsatsu) and ITO EN, a major Japanese beverage and food company. These companies developed a process where collected coffee chaff — gathered primarily as a byproduct from coffee roasting and processing — is mixed into the pulp used to make standard paper napkins. The result is a hybrid material that replaces a measurable portion of traditional wood pulp while improving key characteristics of the final product.

Tully’s Coffee, one of Japan’s largest specialty coffee chains, began using these napkins in all of its stores in late July. By integrating a waste product directly from the coffee industry into a consumable product used in café settings, the initiative creates a closed-loop system that benefits both manufacturers and consumers.

Why These Napkins Feel Better and Absorb More

Beyond their environmental advantages, the coffee chaff napkins offer tangible functional improvements. According to the creators, the addition of coffee chaff enhances the tactile feel of the paper, making it softer and more pleasant to the touch. More importantly, the chaff increases the overall absorbency of the napkins compared to standard versions made solely from wood pulp. This means better performance for customers and less need for multiple sheets during use.

While the exact ratio of chaff to pulp hasn’t been disclosed, the material change is significant enough to support claims of both sensory and functional improvement. The new napkins are also part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on virgin paper pulp, helping save natural resources on an annual basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is coffee chaff?

Coffee chaff is the thin, silvery skin that naturally covers green coffee beans. It comes off during roasting and is usually discarded, but it can be repurposed — as in these new napkins — instead of being thrown away.

Which companies made the coffee chaff napkins?

The napkins were developed through a partnership between Mizobata Printing (Mizobatashikoinsatsu) and ITO EN, a major Japanese company involved in beverages and food products.

Where can you get these napkins?

Tully’s Coffee locations in Japan started using the coffee chaff napkins in late July 2024, and they will be available nationwide starting in early September.

Are coffee chaff napkins more eco-friendly?

Yes. By incorporating coffee chaff — a waste byproduct from roasting — the napkins reduce the amount of virgin wood pulp needed, helping conserve natural resources and divert coffee waste from landfills.

Do the napkins feel or perform differently?

Yes. The coffee chaff makes the napkins softer to the touch and more absorbent than standard napkins made purely from tree pulp.

Is this the first time coffee chaff has been used in paper products?

While coffee chaff has been used for compost or animal bedding, this is one of the first known applications in mainstream, consumer-facing paper products like napkins in a café setting.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Eco-Conscious Cafés

For cafés embracing sustainability like Tully’s with its coffee chaff napkins, FrontStreet Coffee offers several single-origin beans that align with green values and high cup quality. Try the FrontStreet Yirgacheffe, known for its bright citrus and floral notes, perfect for filter brewing. The FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui brings juicy blueberry and stone fruit with a clean profile, ideal for showcasing origin character. Finally, the FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling delivers a full-bodied, low-acidity cup with hints of chocolate and spice — great for espresso or milk drinks. All three are ethically sourced and roasted in small batches. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.