The Resurgence of "Cookie Cups" in Cafés During the Pandemic!

The Environmental Challenge of Disposable Coffee Cups

Disposable tableware, whether cups, plates, knives, forks, or chopsticks, are environmental hazards... Among these, paper cups present the biggest problem as they require cutting down numerous trees as raw materials for manufacturing. Yet, the lifespan of a paper cup is at most one hour—just enough time to drink a beverage before being discarded. Additionally, most paper cups are coated with polyethylene on the inner lining, making them difficult to recycle.

According to incomplete statistics, over 10 billion disposable cups worldwide become potential waste annually due to improper recycling, with the majority coming from coffee shops.

The Challenge of Reducing Disposable Cup Usage

However, getting coffee shops to reduce their use of disposable cups is easier said than done, as most consumers primarily visit coffee shops for takeout. Encouraging everyone to carry their own reusable cups is also quite challenging... How can we enable coffee consumers to reduce the use of disposable cups without having to carry reusable cups everywhere?

The Evolution of Edible Coffee Cups

In 2014, an American coffee shop owner created edible coffee cups by coating ice cream cones with chocolate sauce. The drawback, however, was that once the chocolate melted, the coffee would leak out, limiting the enjoyment time to just 10 minutes. Additionally, every customer using an edible cup had to eat chocolate. Consequently, after the invention of the cone cup, it did not gain widespread recognition.

Later, in 2015, KFC introduced limited-edition edible cookie cups. Compared to the first-generation cone cups, the cookie cups had a significantly firmer texture. The interior was also coated with less heat-resistant chocolate sauce, making them more suitable for holding coffee beverages.

Since KFC was still in the research phase at that time, they did not widely promote the cookie cups. However, this inspired many food companies in other countries. Therefore, starting from 2016, many coffee shops around the world began offering edible cookie cups.

Although some coffee shops were willing to use cookie cups for their beverages, due to low demand, food companies did not engage in mass production. As a result, the price of a cookie cup was hundreds of times that of a disposable cup, significantly increasing the product cost. Moreover, the time for holding beverages was only 30 minutes... Therefore, although cookie cups enjoyed a period of popularity, they ultimately failed to become widely adopted.

The Pandemic Revival and Third-Generation Oat Cups

Just when people were about to forget about cookie cups, due to the coincidental circumstances of the pandemic, they gained renewed attention and underwent upgrades and improvements. Compared to the second-generation cookie cups, the third-generation oat cups are made from oat bran and eggs. Through special processes of pressing and baking, they achieve leak-proof properties without needing chocolate sauce coating.

The upgraded oat cups can hold beverages at 85 degrees Celsius for 12 hours without leaking. The oat cups themselves have little sweetness, with a texture similar to pancakes when eaten. The materials used are only oat bran and eggs, making the cost of one cup only 1/4 of that of a cookie cup.

The Growing Acceptance of Edible Cups

Some things are better when they arrive at the right time! Besides increasing environmental awareness, the pandemic did not allow coffee shops to provide reusable glass cups, which unexpectedly boosted the demand for edible cups.

Many coffee shops in various regions have resumed using edible cups, and they have been well-received by consumers. Some shop owners have stated: "Although the product price is higher, customers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their consumption. Therefore, the response has been tremendous and very positive! It is believed that edible cups will be widely adopted."

Comparing Alternatives: Reusable Cup Rental Services

Although many countries have promoted "rentable reusable cup" services, consumers often forget to bring their own cups and still rely on disposable cups when visiting coffee shops. Previously, Coffee Workshop reported that Starbucks in multiple regions launched a "cup borrowing" service, where customers could "borrow" a cup by paying a $1 deposit, and when returned after use, they could get their deposit back plus reward points.

After collection, the cups undergo unified disinfection treatment. However, consumers expressed that this doesn't contribute much to environmental protection, wastes water, and cannot ensure the cups' cleanliness. It would be better to provide dine-in ceramic mugs again or reopen the bring-your-own-cup service. Therefore, since the launch of the cup borrowing service over a year ago, the response has not been as good as the return of oat cups in just a few months.

Future Challenges and Prospects

However, oat cups still have their limitations - they lack lids, and many consumers are allergic to wheat bran and eggs. Therefore, food companies in many regions are accelerating the development of gluten-free and egg-free versions of edible cups and lids, hoping to make edible cups more widely available.

A food company executive from Australia stated that although the current cost of edible cups is still $1.5 each, as long as they can be widely adopted by major coffee shops, the price of edible cups can be reduced to under $1.

The writer recalls that cookie cups for coffee were once popular in China as well, but ultimately failed to become widely used due to chocolate and cost issues. Now with new manufacturing technologies, domestic food factories should get on board quickly!

If edible cups can truly become widespread, it would actually be quite beneficial! Then you wouldn't have to worry about getting hungry while drinking coffee 😂

Image source: Internet

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