People’s Champion finalist 2018: Optiat

Start-up name: Optiat
Founders: Anna and William Brightman
Started in: April 2016
Based in: London
Business description: Nature-friendly skincare company

Shortlisted categories:

Export Business of the Year, and The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year

The Optiat story:

Nature is full of wonderful ingredients that are tragically wasted in landfill. And this includes things such as used coffee grounds.

The caffeine in coffee helps stimulate blood flow, and can help to combat skin conditions such as acne, eczema, cellulite and stretch marks. It can also help to brighten up your complexion and, as it’s the same PH as your skin, it won’t leave it feeling dry.

Yet nine million tonnes of the stuff is thrown away every year (500,000 in the UK alone), decomposing to produce methane.

Siblings Anna and William Brightman saw an opportunity to capitalise on this waste and so set about building Optiat.

Launched in 2016, Optiat collects coffee grounds from 80 of London’s best small chain and independent restaurants for use in its range of natural body scrubs. Since launch in November 2016 it’s already saved more than 20 tonnes of coffee from landfill and estimates that it will have saved 1,000 tonnes in five year’s time.

Optiat is stocked in Waitrose, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, As Nature Intended, Booths, Urban Outfitters and Topshop as well as hundreds of independent stores around the country. It’s also achieved distribution in eight European countries.

Bolstered by the success of its coffee scrubs, the brand is keen to expand its range to include face masks made from repurposed hemp husks, which are an excellent source of minerals and a rare source of insoluble fibre.

And it’s spreading the good word. It provides goody bag contributions and raffle prize donations to several charities and teaches recycling workshops in schools.

Why Optiat made our shortlist:

Optiat is leading a skincare revolution and proving that waste doesn’t need to be wasted with innovative natural products.

This helps promote the importance of the circular economy and protects the environment. The clue is in the name. Optiat is an acronym for ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’.

Where to find out more about Optiat:

Website: optiat.com
Twitter: @optiat