Sip & Snack? Meet The Edible Coffee Cup

While most of us experience a pang of guilt when consuming water from a plastic bottle, we don't feel nearly as bad about drinking a cup of joe out of a paper cup. After all, they’re compostable, right?

Not so fast. A significant portion of paper coffee cups have a plastic lining that prevents them from being compostable. Additionally, the production process of these cups generates a considerable amount of CO2 emissions due to the loss of carbon-capturing trees and the energy consumption required for manufacturing and distribution.

But what if we could munch on our cup instead of discarding it in the compost bin after enjoying our morning brew?

That's the vision of a Bulgarian startup called Cupffee, which creates an edible coffee cup that users can snack on once they’ve finished their drink. The cup, made from edible vegan components such as oat bran, wheat flour, and water, resembles a coffee cup-shaped ice cream cone that can withstand temperatures up to 85 degrees Celsius (185 Fahrenheit) and remains crisp for up to 40 minutes after being filled. Available in two sizes, 110 and 220 ml, the cup also features a relatively low-calorie content (56 or 105 kcal).

The idea behind the Cupffee edible coffee cup comes from Miroslav Zapryanov, company founder and CEO at Cupffee. As a student, Zapryanov began considering the environmental ramifications of plastic waste and disposable coffee cups and spent years developing the recipe in his own kitchen. Today, with a specialized machine and production process in place, this idea has materialized into a company capable of producing up to 2.5 million cups per day. The cups are manufactured in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The company has collaborated with coffee brands like Lavazza, which has resulted with the introduction of the Cupffee in 18 countries. The company has been served at Wimbledon and has been used by Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane on Earth Day. This traction has led to the company's initial external investment of EUR 500,000 in a pre-seed funding round from Eleven Ventures, and a EUR 1.3M grant from the European Innovation Council.

Cupffee joins other startups like Good-Edi (edible cups) and IncEDIBLE Eats (edible cutlery/straws) that believe the way to more sustainable single-use consumption is through, well, consumption. I like the idea but have to wonder how many folks are willing to eat a coffee or ice cream-soaked cup or spoon every time they get a beverage or ice cream. I also question whether coffee drinkers want to be on the clock, making sure they drink or dispose of the drink within 40 minutes or so before the cup becomes soggy.

Another challenge is cost. According to the Cupffee website, a cup costs between 45 cents and 62 cents per cup when purchased in packs of 200, which compares to about 18 cents for a paper cup. At a price of 2-3 times a typical cup, margin-constrained food service purveyors might be deterred from using these products.

But who knows? In the long run, more customers will avoid single-use containers altogether by bringing their own cups. But not everyone carries a cup at all times, so those who occasionally forget their travel mugs might be ok with buying a cup of joe poured into their mid-morning snack.

You can watch how Cupffee makes their edible coffee cups in the video below:

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