All pictures courtesy of Good To Go Cups.

A Minnesota Twin Cities startup referred to as Good To Go Cups lately launched with a novel method to the reuse of to-go espresso cups. 

Created by longtime Edina pals and environmental advocates Michelle Horan and Melissa Seeley, Good to Go has been getting the inexperienced gentle at an increasing number of espresso retailers all through america, with taking part retailers now in 5 states. 

The 2 entrepreneurs have beforehand participated in quite a few recycling and composting schemes regionally, but their focus is now extra squarely on the problem of reuse. 

Good To Go Cups Founders Melissa Seeley and Michelle Horan.

“[With] most disposable single-use issues, folks don’t at all times concentrate and actually notice the dimensions of the issue,” Seeley lately advised Every day Espresso Information. “As soon as we began this round economic system idea and single-use espresso cups particularly, we realized there was a whole lot of alternative to make an affect within the reuse sector.”

Seeley and Horan developed the Good to Go cup from scratch with a producing associate in California. In response to the corporate, the cups are made with a BPI-certified-compostable materials whereas boasting warmth tolerance that may face up to repeated scorching drinks and industrial dishwasher makes use of. 

“Once they do attain end-of-life, we’ll ship them again to our producer to be floor up and made into new cups — and that’s an infinite closed loop,” Seeley mentioned. “That, too, is one other side to our program that units us aside from the competitors.”

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Whereas numerous reusable cup schemes have emerged in recent times — together with a model new citywide pilot scheme in California — widespread adoption amongst retailers, in addition to customers, stays elusive. 

“It’s a troublesome battle,” mentioned Seeley. “It’s simply elevating the consciousness of it, the notice of the scope of the issue, after which getting folks to agree and take part within the resolution.”

The Good to Go Cups mannequin is designed to take away as many boundaries as doable for taking part espresso retailers. Good to Go provides retailers with cups totally free and remotely manages their stock by QR coding. An additional benefit pitched to buy homeowners is the potential discount in bills tied to cup buying.  

Seeley used the instance of a store buying 1,000 single-use cups monthly in two sizes. “They’re buying 24,000 cups a 12 months, which implies that’s a whole lot of cups that they’ve to purchase, however so much which are being thrown away,” she mentioned. 

In the meantime, Good to Go Cups earns income by shopper subscriptions. By means of the Good To Go Cups app, espresso drinkers can be a part of the membership program for $19.99, which incorporates 50 cup makes use of. Customers both go away the cup on the store or return it upon their subsequent go to. In lots of present circumstances, taking part espresso retailers supply some form of low cost to Good to Go Cups customers. 

Seeley and Horan are hoping to construct the model’s present community of espresso retailers, whereas refining the bodily and data infrastructures required by the reuse program. 

“We need to be all over the place so that folks don’t have to recollect their cup as a result of they’re already ‘Good To Go,’” mentioned Seeley. “Folks need to do the proper factor — they actually do — we simply want to present them the instruments and a little bit assist in order that they’ll.”

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