It is not just office workers who rely on a coffee to get them through their day, tens of thousands of worms are also getting their daily fix at a farm in far north Queensland.
Mick Kruckow from Eubenangee, south of Cairns, has struck up a deal with a local cafe.
Each week he collects about 20 kilograms of coffee grounds and feeds them to his 120,000 worms.
"It keeps the grounds out of landfill and keeps our worms happy," Mr Kruckow said.
"When we feed them the farm smells like coffee.
"But it doesn't take long, just three to four days for that to change, as the worms turn over the beds and eat the grounds."
Mr Kruckow says the tiny workers produce about 250 litres of worm juice a week.
The juice is then sprayed on paddocks.
Worm juice producing better pastures
The worms are not only getting rid of waste, they are also changing the landscape.
Mr Kruckow says the fertiliser has improved his soil biology, doubled organic matter and created thicker, greener pastures for his cattle.
"The general health of the herd's way better," he said.
"I used to have to feed them phosphorus and I can put a block out there now and they won't touch it.
"The worm juice is a phosphorus lover so I think it's making the phosphorus in the soil available so I'm not having to buy licks or anything.
"When I was using the horse manure, after big rains the pasture tended to get really depleted. But now with the coffee, since this big rain we've recently had, everything's greener and it's recovering."
Cruze Coffee owner Gilberto Risa said it is a win for him too.
"We reduce our rubbish quantities, and our costs, and it's improving their pastures," he said.
