Coffee-fueled obsession leads Green Day members to create eco-friendly coffee company

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ByJonathan Bloom KGO logo
Monday, October 31, 2016
Green Day bassist creates evironmentally friendly coffee company
The two things people get really passionate about are music and coffee. A man who's won grammies for his music is hoping to make just as big of an impact with his coffee.

The two things people get really passionate about are music and coffee. A man who's won Grammys for his music is hoping to make just as big of an impact with his coffee.

Mike Dirnt has a pretty sweet gig. "My day job, I'm the bass player for the band Green Day," Dirnt said.

Being a rock star means working long hours. "I can't exist without great coffee," Dirnt said.

And over the years, it's become an obsession. "I'll roast my own beans right there. Sometimes I'll even throw them in a cast iron skillet," he said.

And now, that obsession's turned into a business. Oakland Coffee is launching an exclusive blend at Costco stores. "We're not really into the tangy thing and we're not into the burnt thing, we like a nice chocolatey, earthy full bodied cup of coffee," Dirnt said.

But beyond the flavor, there's something else he claims is a world first. "All of our bags are made from corn starches and plant based plastics," he said.

He created bags that can live on the shelf for a year, but can go in the compost when they're empty, including the little plastic valve that keeps the coffee fresh.

But Oakland Coffee's also taking on another challenge. Bag waste has been around for decades, but now there's a new kind of waste that's taking over: the single serving coffee pods sold by the hundreds.

"It's billions and billions, people say 15 billion a year go in and fill up the landfills," said John Rogers of Rogers Family Coffee.

So Oakland Coffee teamed up with San Francisco Bay Coffee to make a pod that won't wind up in the landfill.

"A product that is 100 percent compostable. You take it out of your single serve machine, throw it right in the green bin. Three weeks, it's dirt," Rogers said.

They'll be selling those in about a month. For now, the whole beans come in 12-ounce bags.

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