Tell us a little bit about your career to date
My background is in sales and marketing in the FMCG industry, covering Denmark and the wider Nordic region. In 2012 I became Country Manager for Segafredo coffee, and it was whilst I was working there that I got to know the initial founder behind GreenUp, and was introduced to the coffee tees.
How did the idea for using coffee waste to make golf tees come about?
The idea for a coffee golf tee, actually came from the original founder's mother. It is "old common knowledge" that coffee is good for your roses and other plants in the garden, so it was a logical choice when they were looking for a sustainable material for golf tees. Coffee tees are both circular and eco-friendly, and as noted above, they are good for the grass too!
Why did you decide to get involved in the GreenUp business?
When I first saw the products, I just wanted to buy them as gifts for my customers, because of the connection between the coffee and the tees. Then later on, I realised that it would be great to combine my love of coffee and golf, along with my desire to help make golf more sustainable.
How have golfers reacted to such an innovative new product?
The reactions have been very positive, especially the durability of our tees - they last. We are now the official tee partner to Danish Golf and our tees were used on the DP World Tour in Denmark in August 2024.
GreenUp have recently won the PGA Show Best New Product Award, what’s next for the company?
We were very proud to win the award at the recent PGA show, where we were also showing our new coffee pitchfork, pencil and ball marker. Our products are already in the USA, UK, Europe, New Zealand and Japan but we are looking to expand our global presence. To reduce emissions we ship the compound to our partners, where they make the tees locally.
Longer term we are looking at making other products from our compound, which is already approved for cutlery in India and the USA. We've also just produced our first plant pot, which could be for golf clubs looking to enhance the look of their golf courses!
INSPIRED TO TRY GREENUP COFFEE TEES?
If you've been inspired to try GreenUp coffee tees, then they are available from:
