Have you ever worried about giving gifts that aren’t quite right? No one wants to hand out presents that recipients don’t really want or aren’t sure how to use. Why not try out this idea for sustainable gifts you can make at home? Tuck coffee beans into a festive, thrifted mug — the gift is personal, yet affordable, the mug can be reused, and there’s no extra packaging to throw away! (And you don’t need to be artistic or have crafting skills to pull this off.) Here’s how we did it:

What you’ll need

• A selection of coffee cups or mugs
• Industrial-sized paper coffee filters
• Organic coffee — your favorite single-origin or blend
• Ribbon and gift tags

Shop for mugs (the eco-friendly way)

First, pick out mugs from your favorite thrift shop or second-hand store. It’s a little like a treasure hunt. Think about the people on your list and try to find designs you think they’ll enjoy. And pick up a few extra mugs for those last-minute guests you aren’t expecting.

Fill them with coffee beans

Place a clean paper filter in each mug and pour in whole bean coffee to fill. Equal Exchange sells our fair trade and organic coffee beans in five pound bulk bags. (Check out our wide selection here.) By splitting up a bag between many mugs, you use much less packaging — and you’re being thrifty, too.

Tie up sustainable gifts with a bow

Tie each filter closed with a ribbon to keep the beans inside. That’s it! You’re all done! But in order to make the gift seem extra-special, consider adding a gift tag. This is your chance to let the coffee-lover know what roast you chose for them and where in the world it came from. You might even want to mention that it’s fair trade — the people who grew this coffee make a fair living. They work everyday to improve their communities and green the environment. That’s a gift that’s pretty hard to beat! Learn fast facts about fair trade here.

When your friends and family receive these sustainable gifts, they can transfer the beans to an airproof container for storage. That will keep the coffee fresh until its ground, brewed — and poured back in the mug to be sipped. Looking for more coffee storage tips? We’ve got you covered.

Happy gift-giving!

Sign up for our newsletter for coffee stories, tips and coupons.