Vietnamese firm explores into supplying face masks made from coffee

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many food and beverage producers globally have ventured into supplying products relating to the pandemic. For example, several alcoholic drink suppliers have shifted to producing hand sanitisers while demand for alcoholic drinks remain subdued during this period. In Vietnam, a Vietnamese company, Veritas Shoes Co., Ltd has invested into a unique product i.e. face masks made from coffee fiber, the first such product globally.
Its company Director, Le Thanh came up with an idea of developing a unique face mask that is both effective in protecting the wearer from air particulate matter as well as environmental friendly as it can easily decompose and be discarded. Not only that, the face mask is also ‘fashionable’ and well-designed as the designers at Veritas Shoes use 4 metal rivets, similar to those found on jeans, to fix the masks’ traps. The unique mask, branded as ‘AirX’ was launched in April 2020 and was well-received with substantial shipping orders by foreign suppliers from the US, Europe and Japan. According to the company spokesperson, the outer layer of the mask is weaved from washable coffee fiber while the inner layer, a biodegradable filter membrane, is produced with a technology utilising ‘silver nano’ and ‘coffee’. Both layers can be taken apart and reassembled easily, with the inner membrane remaining functional for up to 30 days without needing to be washed. The AirX face mask is retailed at US$4.15 per piece and is AATCC-certified by the Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3 (QUATEST 3) based in HCMC. Veritas Shoes is planning to roll out face masks with N95 and N99 membranes soon.