Cupffee plans to increase its production to 10 million cups per month and ultimately wants to replace at least 1% of the global supply of disposable plastic/carton coffee cups. With Bühler at its side, they are ready to take on the challenge.
Cupffee, a Bulgarian start-up based in Plovdviv, and Swiss Bühler Group have been joining forces to address the urgent problem of plastic waste with innovation since 2016. Now, supported by Bühler solutions and know-how, Cupffee is ready to double the production volume of its edible, crispy wafer cups, increasing its impact for a sustainable future.
Crispy coffee cups
While searching for the perfect recipe for the cups, Cupffee made many trials adjusting the ingredients and modifying the mix, the proportions, and the temperature. “It took us a few years to reach the final version of the recipe,” says Miroslav Zapryanov. “It was extremely important to us that the cup does not leak for hours as well as stays crunchy for at least 40 minutes. Another essential factor that we considered when creating Cupffee cups was the neutrality of their taste that would not alter the taste of the beverage inside.”
Edible cups gain popularity
The Cupffee cups are available in two sizes: 110 ml and 220 ml. They are made from natural oat bran and wheat flour and their lightweight turns them into the perfect snack with just 56 or 105 kcal, respectively. They are made with entirely natural ingredients, they are not coated with chocolate or sugar, and they have a neutral taste.
Cupffee cups quickly gained momentum and became popular with big customers worldwide who strive to be at the forefront with their green practices and sustainable initiatives. Among Cupffee’s visionary partners in its environmental mission is the leading global coffee company Lavazza, which serves its espresso in “cookie cups” in number of markets and prominent events such as Wimbledon, at which Giuseppe Lavazza, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., and Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed their coffee in Cupffee cups.
Growth with Bühler solutions
The Bühler team in Sofia, Bulgaria, contacted Miroslav Zapryanov at Cupffee six years ago to let him know about the benefits of testing products in its Wafer Innovation Center in Leobendorf, Austria.
Bühler has a specially modified molded cones and cups solution that would enable Cupffee to produce on an industrial scale to meet its growing customer demand.
Today, around 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year, according to a 2021 report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). About 36% of all plastics produced are used in packaging, including single-use plastic products for food and beverage containers, according to UNEP.
featured photo: cupffee.me
source: Foodinfotech – full article available here
