Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of the Finnova Foundation, explained in San Xoán de Río how coffee waste valorisation can launch new green business models and retain population in rural territories
The initiative takes an international leap this Thursday, June 11, with a major hybrid event at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels to address sustainability synergies between Europe and Latin America
SAN XOÁN DE RÍO (OURENSE), JUNE 9, 2026. The European ECOFFEE project became yesterday one of the main highlights at the Rural Entrepreneurship, Technological Innovation and Local Development Course, held at the Rural University Hub of San Xoán de Río (Ourense). During the panel dedicated to disruptive technologies in rural environments, Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of the Finnova Foundation —a consortium partner entity—, shared practical insights on how innovation and circular economy applied to daily waste management serve as strategic tools to unlock new green business opportunities, generate youth employment, and actively tackle demographic challenges in the Galician countryside.
ECOFFEE is a pilot initiative co-funded by the European Union through the prestigious Horizon Europe programme (CIRCULOOS GA No. 101092295). The project focuses on a completely disruptive mission: designing and implementing advanced technology and reverse logistics processes to transform spent coffee grounds generated massively by the HORECA sector (hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops) and vending machines into high-value bioproducts. Through this circular bioeconomy model, what was traditionally considered daily waste is 100% valorised to become sustainable ingredients for animal feed and organic natural biocides that protect agricultural crop health.
Bringing ECOFFEE’s solutions to the Rural University Hub forum has helped show that green transition and reverse logistics digitalisation are not merely theoretical concepts, but actual economic drivers for rural municipalities. During the sessions, Revuelta highlighted that valorising endogenous resources or massive waste streams allows for the creation of short, efficient, and competitive value chains capable of retaining population in the territory while providing the primary sector with environmentally friendly technological solutions.
The development of this knowledge-transfer session was possible thanks to the excellent warm welcome and shared vision of key entities driving the socio-economic revitalisation of the region. The meeting was supported by the Diputación de Ourense, the Town Council of San Xoán de Río, the Axencia Galega da Calidade Alimentaria (Agacal), the Fundación Galicia Europa, and the Red Business Market, organisations that agree on positioning rural areas at the forefront of green innovation and sustainability. The trans-national consortium of the ECOFFEE project is composed of leaders in research, the industrial sector, and technology transfer, joining the capabilities of AZTI, Euskovazza, FUMIHOGAR, and the Finnova Foundation itself.
Next stop: The European Committee of the Regions in Brussels
The debate regarding circular bioeconomy potential initiated in Ourense will find immediate continuity on the international stage. This Thursday, June 11, 2026, the ECOFFEE project will take a European leap with the high-level hybrid event titled "From Coffee Waste to Agricultural Resource: The ECOFFEE Circular Model", taking place at the European Committee of the Regions headquarters in Brussels and online.
This high-level encounter will gather representatives from the European Commission (DG AGRI), research centres, and key stakeholders from both the European and Latin American agricultural sectors to discuss technological synergies and the replication of these circular models on a global scale. The registration period is in its final countdown, and the last remaining seats—both onsite and for virtual streaming—can be secured through the Eventbrite platform.
For further information and registration for the June 11 event: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/from-coffee-waste-to-agricultural-resource-the-ecoffee-circular-model-tickets-1985145637039?aff=erellivmlt
Official website of the ECOFFEE project: https://ecoffeeproject.eu