Circular Venture Project — Chile

Coffee & Vine

A circular soil amendment for vineyards, made from spent coffee grounds and winery residues.

400,000 t/yr of grape pomace produced in Chile
10,009 ha of vineyards represented in the ODEPA survey
B2B direct sales to vineyards and wineries
01

What are we selling?

A certifiable organic soil amendment made from composted spent coffee grounds and winery residues — not raw "coffee fertilizer," but a controlled, lab-analyzed product engineered for vineyard soil.

02

To whom?

Vineyards and wineries in Chile facing rising water stress and soil-management costs, concentrated in priority regions: Maule, O'Higgins, Metropolitana, Valparaíso and Coquimbo.

03

Why will they buy?

Because the value isn't the compost — it's measurable water savings and improved soil structure. If a vineyard saves $100 and the product costs $40, the business case is clear.

The Problem

Three waste streams, one shared pressure on water

CO

Coffee waste

Cafes generate spent grounds daily, with low value per kilo and no clear use.

WI

Winery waste

Chile produces about 400,000 tons a year of grape pomace from wine and pisco.

H2O

Water pressure

Vineyards face growing water stress, so every liter saved has real value.

The opportunity: no one today connects these three streams into one circular flow.
The Solution

An organic amendment made from local waste

Product

Coffee-Grape Soil Amendment

Spent coffee grounds and winery residues, composted and formulated as an organic amendment for vineyard soil.

  1. 1

    Collection

    Coffee grounds from cafes + pruning residue and pomace from vineyards.

  2. 2

    Controlled composting

    Blending, lab analysis and dosage control.

  3. 3

    Specialized amendment

    Ready-to-sell, designed to retain moisture and add organic matter.

X

We do NOT sell raw "coffee fertilizer"

A poorly formulated mix can alter soil pH and nutrient availability.

OK

We DO sell a certifiable organic amendment

Composting, lab analysis and controlled dosage, designed for vineyard soil.

Operating Model

How the circular flow works

CO

Cafes

Hand over coffee grounds

Possible pickup fee
C&V

Coffee & Vine

Collects, processes, blends

Controlled composting
VI

Vineyards

Buy the amendment

Primary revenue
WI

Wineries

Circular-economy programs

Secondary revenue
Key risk to control: transport. Operations must stay local and concentrated in one zone.
Market Opportunity

Chile has both the raw material and the potential demand

400,000 t/yr

of grape pomace estimated from Chile's wine and pisco industry

98 responses

from producers and growers in the 2025 ODEPA survey

10,009 ha

represented by that survey, a solid base to validate demand

Priority regions to launch local operations

Maule O'Higgins Metropolitana Valparaíso Coquimbo
Important: the ODEPA survey did not ask about this product. Real demand is validated with our own survey (see roadmap).
Value Proposition

The real benefit isn't the coffee

Coffee is just cheap raw material. The vineyard buys a solution to an agricultural problem with measurable value.

VI

We don't sell compost

We sell soil improvement: organic matter and structure for the vine.

H2O

We don't sell waste

We sell potential water savings and greater drought resilience.

OK

We don't sell promises

We sell measurable evidence: soil moisture and irrigation data.

Business Model

Two revenue streams, one concentrated B2B customer

Problem Coffee waste + agricultural waste + growing pressure on water in viticulture
Customers Vineyards and wineries needing better soil and water management (B2B)
Value proposition A circular organic amendment made from local waste
Revenue Amendment sales + possible pickup fee from cafes + circular-economy programs
Raw material Spent coffee grounds + pruning residue and grape pomace
Economic Viability

When is this really a business?

The vineyard doesn't buy compost. It buys water savings and soil improvement.

Hypothetical savings example

1 ha of vineyard

2,000,000 L

of water used per year

10% target reduction

(a validation goal, not a promise)

200,000 L

potentially saved per hectare/year

The business rule
OK

If the vineyard saves $100 and we charge $40, there is a business

X

If the vineyard saves $5 and we charge $40, there is no business

Priority #1: measure real savings before setting a price or promising results.

Project Roadmap

A 7-month plan to prove, measure and decide

M1

Validation survey

Survey 30-50 vineyards on willingness to test and buy.

Demand signal
M2

Sourcing setup

Partner with local cafes and one winery in a single zone.

Local supply chain
M3-M5

Field pilot

Apply mixes to a small plot for one season vs. a control plot.

Soil and water data
M6

Data analysis

Compare treated vs. control and value the benefit per hectare.

Savings estimate
M7

Go / No-Go

Compare validated savings against product cost (economic viability rule).

Scale, reprice or pivot
Risks and Honest Status

Where this can fail, and how we prevent it

!

Coffee harming the soil

A poorly formulated mix can alter pH and nutrients.


Mitigation

Composting, lab analysis and controlled dosage. Never raw.

!

Transport too expensive

Distant cafes and vineyards can destroy the margin.


Mitigation

Local, concentrated operations in a single zone.

!

Promising unproven savings

No solid evidence yet of a specific % of irrigation saved.


Mitigation

Present savings as a hypothesis to validate, not a fact.

Yes

Can compost improve vineyard soil?

Plausible

Is coffee+compost viable in Chile?

Not yet

Is reduced irrigation proven yet?

Yes, by validating

Can we test and build a business?

Next Steps

We're not abandoning the idea. We're validating it.

SV

Validation survey

Ask 30-50 vineyards if they would test it free or buy it if it works.

PI

One-season pilot

A small plot with different mixes vs. a conventional control plot.

DA

Objective measurement

Soil moisture, pH and irrigation use, before and after treatment.

Coffee & Vine turns an everyday waste stream into a measurable answer to Chilean viticulture's biggest problem: water.