A few years back, we reported on a Ukrainian startup that was producing eyeglass frames out of spent coffee grounds.
Ochis eyewear, we are happy to learn, is still going strong four years later despite the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The online site Business Insider recently had a crew onsite in Kiev and produced a wonderful video piece on Ochis amid the backdrop of war.
The video features a local coffee shop that saves its used coffee grounds to give to Ochis. The coffee shop closed for a few weeks in the early stages of the Russian invasion. However, it reopened in March and has remained so ever since despite the constant threat of Russian artillery and drone strikes.
The video then follows the production process with Ochis workers as they upcycle coffee grounds into frames. According to the video, the company shut down for two months when Russian forces were making a push to reach the capitol city. Ochis employees in the video say that they are glad to be back to work, since it offers a sense of normalcy.
However, they too, are under constant threat of a Russian attack, water shortages and rolling blackouts.
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We quoted Ochis founder Max Gavrilenko in a story we posted in 2018:
“My father owned an optical store and workshop, where I studied glasses from my very childhood. From this, I saw a lot of glasses and wanted to create a really eco-friendly, comfortable and universal glasses that each person can adjust to themselves. After much iteration, I created a new eco-material that is from coffee and flax from which Ochis coffee is made.”
It really is fascinating to see how Gavrilenko and his team have endured. And the feature story of how this innovative independent eyewear company continues to push forward certainly is worth a watch.
