Page 32 - Packaging News magazine Sep-Oct 2022

FOOD PACKAGING
Nice to eat you, Cupffee
Zapryanov aspired to see edible biode- gradable cups replace the plastic waste created by the numerous cafes and restau- rants in his hometown Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
According to Zapryanov, it didn’t take long for the Cupffee edible cups to become quickly recognised as a pio- neer by other like-minded people and companies, shortly after they were launched in 2014. They helped with its rapid growth and expansion, he says.
“While searching for the perfect rec- ipe 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.
“It was extremely important to us that the cup did not leak for hours as well as stayed crunchy for at least 40 minutes. Another essential factor that we consid- ered when creating Cupffee cups was the neutrality of their taste that should not alter the taste of the beverage inside.”
It was extremely important to us that the cup did not leak
for hours as well as stayed crunchy for at least 40 minutes.”
MIROSLAV ZAPRYANOV, ENTREPRENEUR
Since their launch in 2014 the 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, the companies said.
The Bühler team in Sofia, Bulgaria, contacted Zapryanov 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 moulded cones and cups solution that would enable Cupffee to produce on an industrial scale to meet its growing customer demand. Zapryanov knew it was exactly what he was looking for when he heard about it.
“Our first contact with Bühler was in 2016 and that was really at the right moment,” said Miroslav. “At this time, the market required large volumes which we did not have the capacity to pro- duce. Thanks to Bühler solutions, and thanks to Bühler being a world-leading
Swiss Bühler Group is supporting Bulgarian start-up Cupffee to boost the production volume of its edible coffee cups, and according to Nina Milanova, Cupffee’s ANZ distributor, has come at just the right time. Colleen Bate reports.
SINCE 2016 SWISS Bühler Group and Cupffee have been working together to address the urgent problem of plastic waste with innovation. Now, supported by Bühler solutions, Cupffee plans to double or triple its volume over the next two years and to install two more edible cup production lines in its factory in Plovdiv. Current volumes are at 3 million cups per month, with the ultimate target 10 million.
Cupffee is exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Nina Milanova, co-owner of the Jazzy Cafe Bar in Surry Hills, Sydney, who has just received her first container of stock.
“Several coffee roasters have shown interest in Cupffee, including Colombian Connection Coffee – the roaster we use,” says Milanova, who has been distribut- ing the edible coffee cups since October 2021. She says that enquiries have also been coming in from a number of poten- tial distributors around the country.
The 110 ml and 220 ml Cupffee cups, which remain crunchy for up to 40 min- utes, are made from natural oat bran and wheat flour, uncoated with choc- olate or sugar, are just 56 or 105 kcal respectively and have a neutral taste.
They were launched in 2014 when Bulgarian entrepreneur Miroslav
Above: Cupffee ultimately wants to replace at least one per cent of the global supply of disposable plastic/ carton coffee cups.
32 ❙ SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2022
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