What Cupffee does

Cupffee Ltd. is a Plovdiv, Bulgaria-based food-technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells edible coffee cups and stirrers as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic and laminated paper cups. Founded in 2014, the company operates a single-product platform built around a proprietary 7-ingredient natural formulation (primarily oat bran and wheat flour bound with coconut oil) engineered to be thermo-resistant up to 85°C, leak-proof for up to 12 hours without plastic coatings, and consumable as a crunchy cookie-like wafer after the beverage is finished. Production takes place at a Plovdiv facility using a zero-waste manufacturing process where excess materials are repurposed into edible stirrers; patents are pending on both the cup and stirrer technologies.

The company monetizes through a hybrid direct-to-consumer and B2B motion. The primary channel is shop.cupffee.me, an e-commerce storefront offering tiered packaging — sample packs (10×110ml + 12×220ml cups) at €13.29, row packs of 8 cartons (1,600 cups) at a 15% discount, and pallet packs of 48 cartons (up to 9,600 cups) at a 20% discount, with payment processing via Mollie. A parallel B2B motion targets luxury retail, coffee producers, distributors, HoReCa, event/catering companies, and corporates via custom-branded white-label cups, supplemented by high-visibility event sponsorships (Football European Championship 2024, Dutch Beach Volleyball Championships) for brand building. Distribution is global, with active reach across 55 countries and a stated 353-client base including named distributors ZEMIYA (Mexico), Cupcoffe Peru (Peru), and Stroodles (UK).

Cupffee has secured non-dilutive and dilutive capital to scale, including a BGN 3,631,290.20 grant under Bulgaria's National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability (linked to a European Commission Seal of Excellence under Horizon 2020), an approximately $1.4M investment from the European Innovation Council, ~$538K from Eleven Ventures, and $50K from EBRD AgVenture, all closed in 2023. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, ownership is privately held with no identified institutional investor beyond the disclosed rounds, and the founder Miroslav Zapryanov (co-founder) anchors the leadership. The reported environmental impact metric is 277,000 kg of CO₂ saved through customer use of Cupffee cups.

Name

Cupffee

Legal name

Cupffee Ltd.

Website

https://cupffee.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cupffee Ltd. is a Bulgarian food-technology company that designs and manufactures edible coffee cups and stirrers from natural grains and coconut oil, selling globally to B2B distributors, HoReCa, luxury retail, event/catering clients, and individual consumers through e-commerce and custom-branded white-label programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Edible Food Packaging

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Serve Coffee (Pods, Capsules) (CRADAHAH)

Keywords

• Edible coffee cups
• Sustainable food packaging
• Biodegradable drinkware
• Edible stirrers
• Zero-waste disposables

Headquarters

HQ city

Plovdiv

HQ country

Bulgaria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Cupffee generates revenue through direct sales of edible cups via their e-commerce platform shop.cupffee.me. Products are sold in various pack sizes ranging from sample packs (10+12 cups) to bulk pallets (9,600 cups). The company offers both standard products and custom branded options for B2B clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cupffee manufactures and sells the world's first commercially produced edible coffee cups, made from a proprietary blend of natural grains (oats, wheat) and coconut oil, offered in 110ml and 220ml sizes. The company also produces edible biodegradable stirrers as a sustainable alternative to plastic stirrers, and offers custom-branded bulk packaging for business customers across the coffee service, hospitality, retail, and event/catering industries.

Product overview

Cupffee is a single-product company offering the world's first edible cup made from natural grains (oat bran and wheat flour) and coconut oil. The product portfolio centers on the Cupffee edible cup, available in two sizes (110ml for espresso/short drinks and 220ml for cappuccino/latte/tea), with packaging options ranging from individual sample packs to bulk pallets for commercial buyers. Additional offerings include custom branding services that allow businesses to personalize the paper label with their logo. The cups are designed as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic and paper cups, combining beverage containment functionality with edible consumption. They are thermo-resistant up to 85°C, leak-proof for up to 12 hours, and fully biodegradable if not consumed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cupffee Edible Cup 110ml

Quantifiable outcome

• 277,000 kg CO2 saved through Cupffee cup usage
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dutch Beach Volleyball ChampionshipsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2024Cupffee is an official sponsor of the Dutch Beach Volleyball Championships, a summer event spanning 12 weekends. The partnership provides visibility at a major sporting event while promoting sustainable practices. Cupffee provides edible cups for serving beverages at the event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Loliware: Loliware is the most direct peer, producing edible straws and cups from seaweed- and plant-based materials as sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. Both companies occupy the novel 'edible vessel' category targeting foodservice and consumer markets with a sustainability-led value proposition.
• Notpla: Notpla makes seaweed-based edible and compostable packaging (sachets, films, takeaway boxes) as a replacement for single-use plastic. Comparable to Cupffee in developing natural-material edible/disposable packaging for foodservice and consumer applications, with similar sustainability positioning.
• Stroodles: Stroodles produces edible straws as a sustainable alternative to plastic straws and is also a Cupffee distribution partner. Operates in the same edible-consumables sustainable-packaging niche with a comparable target market of cafés and eco-conscious consumers.

Emerging players

• Sway (Sway Technologies): Sway produces seaweed-based flexible packaging films as a home-compostable alternative to plastic. Overlaps with Cupffee in the broader sustainable-foodservice-packaging space, addressing the same single-use plastic problem with a different (non-edible) material approach.
• TIPA Sustainable Packaging: TIPA develops compostable flexible packaging films for food and beverage applications as alternatives to conventional plastic. Operates in the broader sustainable-packaging category alongside Cupffee, addressing single-use waste with home-compostable technology rather than edible materials.

Broad incumbents

• Vegware: Vegware is an established manufacturer of compostable plant-based catering disposables (cups, containers, cutlery). It competes with Cupffee for the same foodservice customers seeking sustainable single-use solutions but offers a broader compostable (not edible) product portfolio.
• Huhtamaki: Huhtamaki is a major global food packaging manufacturer producing paper and plastic cups, containers, and foodservice disposables. Comparable to Cupffee as a large-scale cup manufacturer serving coffee chains and foodservice, but with a portfolio focused on conventional and bio-lined paper rather than edible vessels.
• Benders Paper Cups: Benders is a UK/European paper cup manufacturer serving coffee shops and foodservice operators with single-use cups. Directly competes with Cupffee for the same coffee-service customers but offers conventional paper cups rather than edible alternatives.
• Footprint (formerly Bio4Pack): Footprint is a sustainable foodservice packaging company producing compostable fiber-based cups, containers, and cutlery for global foodservice brands. Comparable to Cupffee in targeting coffee chains and QSR operators seeking disposable alternatives, but using molded fiber rather than edible grain technology.
• Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen is a major North American foodservice packaging manufacturer producing paper and plastic cups, lids, and containers. Overlaps with Cupffee in the coffee/foodservice cup market but at vastly larger scale and with conventional (non-edible) materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/cupffee
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cupffee-eatabledrinks805
• Facebookfacebook.com/cupffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cupffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/cupffee
• TikToktiktok.com/@cupffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cupffee