GaeaStar founder Sanjeev Mankotia shares the inspiration behind his disposable drinkware, which is modeled after the terracotta cups utilized by India’s avenue distributors.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
FOR BARISTA MAGAZINE

Pictures courtesy of GaeaStar

Imagining methods to protect the environment the environment doesn’t must be exhausting—oftentimes, we want solely to look to the previous, relearn from our ancestors, and use their data to dwell extra in sync with the earth. That is an ethos that Sanjeev Mankotia makes use of as the inspiration for his firm, GaeaStar.

The San Francisco, Calif.-based producer is reimagining disposable drinkware: Overlook recycling or composting; GaeaStar’s cups merely dissolve into mud. If that seems like one thing from the yr 3000, you’ll be stunned to be taught that these cups have been impressed by historical methods of life.

Bridging the Previous With the New

GaeaStar’s ultra-thin ceramic cups are made out of clay and have been modeled after the terracotta cups utilized by avenue distributors in India.

“We launched GaeaStar in 2021, and from the beginning, we’ve targeted on combining historical concepts with trendy tech,” Sanjeev tells Barista Journal. He explains that the cups are made with what GaeaStar calls Floor Printing know-how, which allows high-speed, high-precision manufacturing of the cups utilizing solely pure clay, salt, and water—no glues, liners, or toxins.

“Not like typical paper cups, that are lined with plastic and infrequently recycled, our cups are totally ‘geo-neutral,’” Sanjeev explains. “They are often reused a number of occasions, and after they do break, they return to mud by pure mechanical pressure. It’s a greater expertise for patrons and the planet.”

Turning into a Espresso Store Staple

GaeaStar presents the ceramic cups as a formidable different to compostable paper cups, which develop into soggy, are at all times single-use, and require correct disposal—one thing clients usually overlook. And since the ceramic cups are cost-competitive with plastic alternate options, they’ve the potential to be a win-win each by way of sustainability and for café homeowners’ backside line.

Already, GaeaStar cups are being utilized in greater than 200 areas throughout america, fostering partnerships between the corporate and over 25 manufacturers, together with Onyx Espresso Lab and Verve Espresso Roasters. “The response has been overwhelmingly optimistic,” Sanjeev says.

Having efficiently used the cups in Onyx’s cafés, Onyx Espresso Lab co-owner, Andrea Allen, determined to make the most of them at Onyx’s sales space on the 2024 and 2025 Specialty Espresso Expos, the place they generated appreciable buzz.

“We determined to make use of the cups at Expo as a result of there’s a necessity for a comparatively disposable cup that’s good however isn’t going straight into the trash,” Andrea says. “At high-end cafés worldwide, you’re at all times served good espresso in a ceramic cup. To go to a commerce present and be served a very nice espresso in a paper cup takes away from the wonderful work of the producer, the roaster, and the barista getting ready it.”

She goes on to explain the GaeaStar cups as the proper “in between.” “They’re good sufficient to speak high quality, sturdy sufficient to make use of a number of occasions, (and are) completely biodegradable, so that you’re not throwing them out. I like their stuff.”

Logistics: Obtainable Sizes & Usability

GaeaStar’s ceramic cups are available in 4 totally different sizes, from eight to 16 ounces, and may be reused three to 5 occasions earlier than they start to interrupt down. Café homeowners who carry them additionally report an elevated variety of clients bringing in their very own reusable cups after being launched to GaeaStar.

Sanjeev has plans to go far past cups and revolutionize packaging altogether. “We’re exploring extra instances throughout industries like meals, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical packaging the place single-use plastic continues to be the norm. The way forward for to-go is round, and GaeaStar is main the way in which,” he says.

This text initially appeared within the August + September 2025 challenge of Barista Journal. Learn extra of the difficulty on-line right here without cost.

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