MINNEAPOLIS – Caribou Coffee is launching its Grounds for Your Ground program, an initiative that will provide its guests and local gardening organizations with free used espresso grounds for their gardens.

The company is inviting its customers to pickup five-pound bags of used grounds from retail locations for use in their gardens beginning today. Caribou will also donate used grounds to two Minneapolis organizations to assist in their landscaping efforts

“Caribou is committed to a healthier planet and reusing espresso grounds for local planting in Minneapolis parks and gathering spaces is a natural fit,” said Michele Vig, VP of Marketing at Caribou Coffee. “This program is part of a larger, corporate wide sustainability initiative that includes water conservation, composting and waste reduction that we’ll be rolling out this spring.”

Coffee and espresso grounds act as an organic soil fertilizer for gardens as they are high in nitrogen, potassium and other plant nutrients. Using coffee grounds in gardening can deter pests, stimulate growth of certain plants and may help speed up the composting process.