How Keurig saved — and ruined — your coffee

Keurig began selling single-cup coffee brewers in the late 1990s. The machines allowed users to brew individual cups on demand rather than rely on communal office coffee pots. By the 2010s, Keurig controlled approximately 35 percent of the U.S. home coffee market. The company faced criticism over environmental concerns related to the plastic K-Cup pods used in its machines, which are not widely recyclable. Keurig introduced a compostable pod option in 2019.

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