Probably the first ever coffee ground 5.6mm pencil lead, unleashing creativity with natural brown hues and aroma. No added pigments!
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“This is a 5.6mm pencil lead that contains 20% recycled coffee grounds. No artificial colors are added, showcasing the coffee’s natural brown color, while added wax and adhesives ensure each stroke is smooth and distinct.”
Every morning, millions of coffee lovers around the world enjoy their coffee, but this simple ritual leaves behind a significant amount of unused coffee grounds. Globally, we consume 3.5 billion cups of coffee daily.
In fact, coffee waste is a type of organic waste, and research shows that over 11.8 million tons of coffee waste are produced globally each year. When decomposed in landfills, it releases a large amount of methane, significantly impacting the environment. Only 5% of the world’s coffee waste is truly recycled.
We are Hailey and Miles, a couple with a passion for coffee. As avid enthusiasts, we drink at least two cups daily and love creating innovative coffee drinks, like our summer favorite, the orange iced Americano. We enjoy using a moka pot to handcraft espresso, but we used to discard the used coffee grounds without a second thought. Last year, we became aware of the environmental impact of this habit and started exploring ways to transform discarded coffee grounds into valuable resources.
In fact, coffee grounds are rich in cellulose and lignin, antioxidants, and lipids, making them an excellent candidate for converting into bio-based materials as a substitute for petroleum-based resources.
We often dealt with coffee spilling on clothes, leaving brown stains, and cleaning the coffee pot often left our hands covered in grounds. This sparked an idea. Hailey, who has always loved drawing and designing, thought using spent coffee grounds as pigments for art would be fantastic. For any artist, having portable and easy-to-store materials is a dream, enabling creativity anytime, anywhere.
Starting last year, we both fully dedicated ourselves to establishing Zirobio, an eco-friendly brand based on coffee ground recycling, and began developing a portable coffee ground pencil.
After six months of countless experiments and scientific research, we are proud to announce the birth of GRIND Z! It is no longer just a crazy idea. It allows you to create with coffee anytime, anywhere!
This is a 5.6mm pencil lead containing 20% recycled coffee grounds and other components like wax and adhesives. We aim to fully display the natural brown color of coffee grounds on paper without artificial colorants, even though the color is not very intense.
It offers a unique texture, with each stroke containing natural coffee ground particles, creating a perfect vintage effect unlike any pencil you’ve ever used. The wax helps maintain the brightness and smoothness of the color during writing or drawing, preventing easy smudging or fading, much like an oil-based brown colored pencil.
This is also what makes GRIND Z so special:
It has a natural black coffee aroma, not artificial coffee fragrance, and you can even smell a hint of bitterness. Your creations will carry a subtle coffee scent, which is incredibly cool! It’s like creating while drinking coffee, always inspired and never tired!
GRIND Z can be conveniently used directly in your hand like a crayon, or inserted into a clutch pencil for use.
Unlike traditional wooden pencils, it also emphasizes sustainability by eliminating the need for wood removal.
We strategically chose the 5.6mm pencil lead size, and we also offer a custom high-quality 5.6mm clutch pencil. With an aluminum shell, it is lightweight, portable, and durable. It fits GRIND Z pencil leads perfectly and is compatible with any classic 5.6mm clutch pencil on the market. This thickness ensures the pencil lead is both durable and versatile.
The 5.6mm pencil lead is thicker than traditional mechanical pencil leads, offering several advantages: quick refilling, durability, cost-effectiveness, and resistance to breaking.
When used with a clutch pencil, it ensures balanced weight distribution, preventing the pencil from getting shorter and lighter over time. This makes it ideal for extended shading sessions, providing a comfortable grip and stable performance.
The broader lead helps create more uniform shading. You can use a regular pencil sharpener or sandpaper to sharpen the lead, rotating the pencil to keep the tip sharp, or use the wider side of the lead. The varying thickness can produce a range of expressive line widths, suitable for different artistic needs.
It performs well on various types of paper, making it suitable for different artistic applications.
GRIND Z is perfect for sketching, quick drawing, and detailed illustrations. It is also suitable for writing slightly thicker text, making it ideal for note-taking and writing memos.
Traditional pencil leads often contain graphite and synthetic colorants—materials derived from non-renewable resources and manufactured through chemical processes. These substances can pose health risks; studies have shown that prolonged exposure to certain chemical and metallic substances can lead to skin absorption and accumulation, potentially causing allergic reactions or other more serious health issues.
In contrast, GRIND Z introduces a revolutionary approach by using recycled coffee grounds as the primary component. By eliminating synthetic materials, we reduce potential health risks associated with chemical exposure. Coffee grounds are a natural byproduct, safe for skin contact, and promote a more sustainable environment by reducing waste and avoiding the use of harmful substances.
