Cupffee: The Coffee Cup You Can Eat

With over 16 billion single-use coffee cups used every year, we find ourselves struggling to find alternatives that reduce paper and plastic use. While a lot of paper coffee cups are marketed as recyclable, the truth is, paper coffee cups cannot be recycled because of a plastic lining that coats the cup. Edible cups are one sustainable substitute for the disposable coffee cups that we use.

Cupfree LLC is a Dubai-based company looking to make widespread edible cup-use a reality. They, in collaboration with EU-based manufacturer, are distributing to the UAE and other GCC countries an edible waffle cup that can handle both hot and cold drinks. The idea came about in 2013 when a group of three friends from Bulgaria had a dream of replacing plastic cups with a sustainable option that did not contribute to climate change. Since then, the group has been rapidly trying and developing different cup prototypes that would be the most durable. Since 2018, the edible cup Cupffee has been made available in Europe, the United States, Canada, and most recently, the UAE.

“Sturdy as a porcelain cup and light as a feather” Cupffee is made with natural grain products including compressed oat bran and wheat flour, which allows the cups to maintain solid and leak-proof. It is also GMO-free and vegan. The waffle cup doesn’t alter the flavor of what is inside the cup and acts as an absorbent to the contents of the cup. The cup remains crispy for up to one hour and lasts for up to 12 hours. Cupffee hopes to replace recyclable and reusable cups because it promotes zero-waste. If the cup isn’t consumed and thrown away instead, it naturally decomposes after ten days.

Cupfree LLC hopes to distribute its products to multiple coffee and food chains across the UAE. They also plan to offer an online service that offers individual purchases of Cupffee cups to share and support sustainability at home with family and friends.

The UAE is making strides in the fight for sustainability and plans to ban some single-use plastics in 2021. The spread of something as both fun and efficient as edible cups can make our daily routines already that much more sustainable.

For more information and details on how to purchase, check out the Cupfree website at https://cupfree-uae.com/ and their Instagram @cupfree-uae.