The coffee that
started it all.
Every bar of 2nd Ground soap begins with a single cup of coffee — and the grounds that get left behind.
Brooklyn's most beloved independent roaster.
Founded in 2005 by Caroline Bell and Chris Timbrell, Cafe Grumpy started as a single shop in Greenpoint — the same Brooklyn neighborhood where we make our soap. They roast in small batches on a vintage Probat roaster, source directly from farming families in South America, Central America, and East Africa, and have grown to eleven locations across New York City.
They're a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise, an independent company that's been hands-on since day one — and a neighbor we're proud to call a partner.
Learn more about Cafe Grumpy →Two small businesses.
One circular idea.
Every day, Cafe Grumpy brews thousands of cups of espresso across their NYC locations. The grounds — dense, dark, still carrying antioxidants and caffeine — get left behind. For most cafés, that's where the story ends. The grounds go in the bin. The bin goes to landfill.
We had a different idea. What if those grounds could have a second life? What if waste could become wellness?
2nd Ground was built on exactly that question. We collect spent espresso grounds directly from Cafe Grumpy, dry and process them in our Brooklyn studio, and press them into every bar of soap we make. The result is a 2-in-1 exfoliating bar that scrubs on one side and cleanses on the other — powered by something that was about to be thrown away.
That's circular economics at the neighborhood level. Two Brooklyn businesses, closing the loop together. See how a batch actually gets made →
Why post-brewed grounds work so well on skin.
Here's the part most people don't expect — brewing doesn't use coffee grounds up. What's left behind is well suited to a soap bar.
Antioxidants survive the brew
Spent grounds still carry polyphenols and chlorogenic acids — compounds studied for their antioxidant activity, and a big part of why coffee keeps turning up in skincare. More on that here.
Caffeine, the reason it's in eye cream
Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor — it can temporarily tighten the look of skin and reduce the appearance of puffiness. That's the same property that puts it in half the eye creams on the shelf.
The right grit, already softened
Espresso grounds are fine and dense, and hot water and pressure have already taken the edge off them — gentler than dry grounds in a kitchen scrub. Bar vs. loose scrub, compared.
A short, honest ingredient list
Organic coconut, olive, sunflower and castor oils, upcycled espresso grounds, and fragrance. No palm oil, no synthetic detergents, no fillers. See every ingredient.
That just-showered glow
The scrubbing action brings blood to the surface, which is where the flushed, awake look comes from. Go light — the bar meters its own grit, and pressing harder doesn't help.
An ingredient that already existed
Every bar is made from grounds a café was about to throw out, wrapped in paper rather than plastic. The most sustainable ingredient is one nobody had to grow twice.
They brew it.
We make it.
They sell it.
The partnership came full circle when Cafe Grumpy started carrying 2nd Ground soap in their own store — describing it as "Made with our upcycled coffee grinds. Handmade, dual-layer bar with a coffee exfoliant on one side and a moisturizing soap base on the other. Crafted in Brooklyn by our friends at 2nd Ground."
Two Brooklyn businesses. One loop, closed. See every shop that carries us →
Visit Cafe Grumpy →