Bean-free coffee startup awarded $2.6 million from an Impossible Foods investor

A startup aiming to produce coffee sans coffee beans was awarded $2.6 million in funding from Horizon Ventures, which also funded Impossible Foods, the Observer reports.

Atomo, a Seattle-based company, calls their product "molecular coffee." It's made from naturally sustainable ingredients, which they keep secret, reports GeekWire. The company hopes to reduce the environmental impact of coffee production by eliminating the need for farming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that if the Earth continues to warm, areas suitable for coffee farming will face environmental obstacles that make cultivation more difficult, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.

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"Instead of coffee bean farming, we are sourcing as many ingredients from upcycled natural products to help reduce cost and waste within the supply chain," co-founder Jarret Stopforth told the Observer.

The coffee-free coffee grounds would join the likes of dairy-free milks and meatless meat, and could hit store shelves as soon as 2020.

But don't worry about your brew being replaced just yet. Atomo doesn't want to take over the coffee industry, but to become a "sustainable partner," says CEO Andy Kleitsch. Read more at the Observer.