Ground Coffee

Where do we purchase ground coffee?

For the UK and Irish markets, we purchase ground coffee from a local roastery to our manufacturing sites in Poole, Dorset. The coffee enterprise seeks to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible by using renewable energies in their facilities, by only supplying local businesses by electric vehicles or bicycles, and by using reusable containers.

With seven manufacturing sites across the globe, sourcing information may vary depending on where your Lush products were made.

Where do the beans come from?

If we're not mistaken, coffee beans don't grow in Dorset. So our local supplier must buy them unroasted from different producers and commits to paying a fair price.

One source is a farm in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. The volcanic soil and unique microclimate make this place perfect for coffee tree growth. Offering social and environmental activities to their community is also part of the farm’s routine.

A second source is found in the Brazilian Amazon; it is the region's first sustainable agroforestry coffee producer. Agroforestry consists of growing food crops alongside trees, a method that benefits everyone and makes it possible to revalue forests in areas where they are completely cut down for wood or pasture. This method of culture revealed itself to our supplier. Indeed, traditional coffee planting techniques had been tried in the area and failed, and producers had moved on to other activities. Years later, in the 2000s, people noticed that the abandoned coffee plants that had been left in trees' shade had grown well and were productive!

What are the benefits of coffee in cosmetics?

• Revives the skin.
• Promotes healthy hair growth.
• Very softly exfoliates when rubbed on the skin.
• Helps achieve chocolate undertones in natural hair colouring.

A stimulating story

The coffee tree (Coffea arabica) is an evergreen shrub native to Ethiopia. It grows fragrant, star-shaped white flowers which then turn into small, round, red fruits. Each fruit contains two seeds, also called ‘beans’, that change dramatically in taste and caffeine content when roasted.

Used in Yemen since the 6th century to make stimulating drinks, coffee beans were first introduced to Europe in the early 17th century and became very popular thereafter. Now widespread in most kitchen cupboards around the globe, it is less known for its cosmetic use, although many homemade recipes praise its ability to give the skin a light, temporary tanning effect.