Novo Coffee's recycled coffee burlap bags hold more than just your beans

What do you get for that special coffee snob in your life who already boasts a top-of-the-line Italian espresso machine, a French press for every room in the house, and a direct line to as much Indonesian civet-poop coffee as one human stomach can handle? Why, a smart little tote...

By Joel Warner

April 13, 2010

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What do you get for that special coffee snob in your life who already boasts a top-of-the-line Italian espresso machine, a French press for every room in the house, and a direct line to as much Indonesian civet-poop coffee as one human stomach can handle? Why, a smart little tote bag made from recycled burlap coffee sacks, of course!

Denver coffee roaster Novo Coffee is already known for producing some of the best beans around. Now the Best of Denver winner is making a fashion statement by donating its old burlap coffee sacks to Mission Wear, a Denver nonprofit bag maker (and another Best of Denver winner) that uses recycled materials and employs women recovering from prostitution, felonies or substance abuse. Once the women have stitched the burlap into bags, another local charity, YouthBiz, prints Novo's logo on the side (making sure not to obscure the burlap's original coffee markings).

The finished product goes for just under $20 at Novo's two locations at the Denver Art Museum. Pick one up and you'll be helping out several good causes -- as well as making a very bold statement about your caffeine addiction.

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner