New Brew Makes Coffee Breaks as Healthy as Happy Hours

Hate when your workers hang out in the breakroom drinking coffee?  Well, in the near future, you may be encouraging them to down their java when a new brew can make them be healthier, look younger—and maybe lower your healthcare costs!

“CoffVee” is the creation of  Glen P. Miller, PhD, organic chemist, chairman of the University of New Hampshire-Durham Chemistry Department, and entrepreneur, who has studied the properties of antioxidants. Miller told writer Paul Briand of seacoastonline.com that he was fascinated with the so-called “French Paradox,” where the antioxidant resveratrol found in red wine protected gourmands from the effects of high-fat foods on their hearts and blood vessels.

Resveratrol is also touted by some beauty experts for its effect on improving people’s skin, hair, and nails and is included in some personal care products and supplements.

Miller wanted to bring the health benefits of polyphenolic compounds found in foods such as grapes, blueberries, and kale to a beverage. Water was an option, Miller told seacoastonline.com, but “coffee is exactly the kind of drink you’d have in your hand driving to work.” Over three-quarters of American adults drink it.

The health benefits of coffee had already been scientifically proven, so it seemed like the perfect drink—especially since it was nonalcoholic. And since resveratrol is tasteless, it seemed the perfect antioxidant to start with.

Working in his kitchen, Miller successfully developed a process where Arabica coffee beans could be infused with resveratrol before they were roasted to promote “bio-absorption” and deliver the same amount of resveratrol as a glass of red wine!

He pitched the idea to the New England Innovation Center, and the start-up venture Vera Roasting Company just launched. So, now employees can get the same healthful benefits of a few glasses of red wine by drinking their daily cups of coffee, while positively impacting your wellness initiative—and healthcare costs.