Zurich

Inside Seattle Company Atomo Plotting Lab-Made ‘Coffee’ Without Beans | Eater Seattle

"I encountered a Seattle-based startup called Atomo that is developing a lab-based “molecular coffee” to replace traditional beans with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of coffee farming. Co-founded by Jarret Stopforth (who draws on a Ph.D. in food science and microbiology and two decades in the food industry) and Andy Kleitsch, the team spent months experimenting in a garage and set out to reverse-engineer coffee around five components—color, aroma, flavor, body, and bioactives—using natural, plant-based byproducts under the mantra “create, don’t destroy.” They kept their exact process confidential while finalizing patents, launched a Kickstarter in February 2019, raised about $2.6 million with interest from investors like Horizon Ventures, moved into a Seattle office to build a lab and hire a team (including coffee chemists affiliated with the Coffee Excellence Center in Zurich), and say the product is roughly 90% complete with a goal to be ready for distribution by January. In both a University of Washington student taste test (Stopforth reports about 70% preferred Atomo over Starbucks) and my blind comparison of their cold brew, I found Atomo’s drink a bit watery but smooth—less bitter than Starbucks and milder than a bold Japanese brand—and I couldn’t reliably pick which sample was lab-made; the founders insist they’re offering an alternative for sustainability rather than trying to replace coffee farmers." - Maggy Lehmicke