Greek startup Coffeeco Upgrade SA, an innovative company turning coffee waste into high-value products like cosmetics and bioplastics, announced Wednesday it has secured 715,000 euros in the first close of its 1M Seed Round.
Up to 99 percent of coffee fruit is discarded as waste after espresso production. Coffeeco Upgrade uses chemical-free extraction technology to recover natural fibers and antioxidant-rich compounds from spent coffee grounds. With these they create minimalist, high-performance skincare products and experimental bioplastics.
The 1M Seed Round is backed by London-based boutique financial firm VDK Capital, who welcome new international investors. This strategic partnership reinforces global confidence in Coffeeco’s ability to scale and drive innovation. The round will remain open for an additional three months, with 285,000 euros still available for mission-aligned investors.
This milestone enables Coffeeco to expand its operations across Europe and the United States while scaling both its flagship Auraskin product line and its revolutionary approach to circular, science-based innovation.
“Our upcycled extract has shown exceptional microbiome-enhancing capacity,” says Marios Vlachogiannis, cofounder and COO of Coffeeco Upgrade. “That’s where the real differentiation lies. It’s not just about being natural or sustainable—it’s about offering high-performance skincare that respects the skin’s ecosystem while closing the loop on waste.”
Coffeeco Upgrade SA was founded in 2021 by Dr. Alexis Pantziaros and Marios Vlachogiannis, both chemical engineers. They met at a 2016 innovation competition and their shared vision on addressing global resource waste led to the creation of the company.
Coffee waste after espresso production contributes to environmental pollution and carbon emissions. Globally, given that only one percent of coffee fruit is used with the rest discarded, this amounts to over 23 million tons of coffee waste annually, with the majority ending up in landfills. There, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide.
At Coffeeco’s core lies a bold idea: coffee waste is an untapped resource. The company’s technology allows them to turn spent coffee grounds into minimalist skincare, sold under the Auraskin brand and sold directly inside coffee shops, where the raw material originates.
Their skincare-to-go model creates a new retail category, with the brand now sold in over 90 coffee shops and lifestyle locations across Greece, Cyprus, Madrid, London, Romania and most recently Boston.
Coffeeco raised a pre-seed round to build its proprietary production unit in the Industrial Area of Patras, in the Peloponnese, Greece. The company now collects over 10 tons of spent coffee grounds each month, and giving them a second life.
The company’s cap table also features leading figures in the food, sustainability and startup ecosystem, such as Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, Giannis Theodoropoulos and Konstantinos Lambrou. New international investors include Drake G. Behrakis, Vasilis Bacolitsas and Alex Hadjipateras.
