EcoCups
EcoCups (Tees Valley Plastics Ltd.) is a UK manufacturer of custom-printed reusable polypropylene cups, selling factory-direct to festivals, stadiums, breweries, and event organizers with weekly capacity exceeding one million units.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersStockton-on-tees, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What EcoCups does
EcoCups is a trading name of Tees Valley Plastics Ltd., a UK-based manufacturer of custom-printed reusable plastic cups headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees. The company produces BPA-free polypropylene cups using In-Mould Labelling (IML) technology, a process that embeds printed graphics directly into the cup wall during molding rather than applying post-production labels or wraps. Its facility operates with stated weekly capacity exceeding one million units, and finished products are rated for 200+ dishwasher cycles.
The product portfolio spans multiple cup formats including wine cups, hot drink cups, stackable cups, cocktail cups, and two-pint vessels, with per-unit pricing ranging from approximately £0.33 to £0.59+ depending on size and print specification. The company also offers a QR Code Cup variant for scannable on-cup engagement. Production is supported by an express service offering 48-hour turnaround, volume-tiered pricing, and a 10% Price Beat Guarantee.
EcoCups operates a factory-direct go-to-market model selling to enterprise customers including event organizers, festivals, stadiums, breweries, and beverage brands, alongside a self-serve SMB channel for private parties and weddings with minimum order quantities as low as 50 units. Named customers include the BRIT Awards, Green Man Festival, OVO Hydro Arena, Motorpoint Arena, Birmingham FA, Bud Light, Coca-Cola, Pub in the Park, and Standon Calling. Differentiation rests on regulatory compliance via UKCA/CE markings required for licensed alcohol service, a claimed 30% cost advantage versus resellers through direct distribution, and sustainability positioning citing an 85% waste reduction claim versus single-use alternatives.
EcoCups firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EcoCups
- Legal name
- Tees Valley Plastics Ltd.
- Website
- https://ecocups.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- EcoCups (Tees Valley Plastics Ltd.) is a UK manufacturer of custom-printed reusable polypropylene cups, selling factory-direct to festivals, stadiums, breweries, and event organizers with weekly capacity exceeding one million units.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EcoCups industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Reusable Event Drinkware
- NAICS
- Plastics Bottle Manufacturing (326160)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beverage Rigid Plastic Packaging (Water, CSD, Juice Bottles) (IMALAAAI)
Keywords
Where EcoCups is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockton-on-tees
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
EcoCups business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Custom Printed Reusable Cups: One-time product sales of custom printed reusable cups with branding. Orders range from 50 unit minimums to bulk orders exceeding 1 million units. Revenue derived from unit pricing with volume discounts for larger orders. Customers include event organizers, venues, festivals, stadiums, and private party planners.
- Wholesale/Bulk Orders: Volume wholesale supply for stadiums, festivals, and breweries. Trade accounts with credit terms available for regular customers. Lower unit pricing achieved through manufacturing scale with weekly capacity exceeding 1 million units.
- Wedding and Party Cups: Personalised cups for weddings, birthdays, and celebrations sold directly to consumers and event planners with low minimum orders of 50 units and express 48-hour delivery for last-minute orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Starting price from £0.34 per unit for bulk orders |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Half Pint cups from £0.33 per unit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pint cups from £0.38 per unit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Volume discounts on Half Pint Single Colour |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Wholesale bulk pricing for 1M+ capacity |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
EcoCups product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EcoCups manufactures custom-printed reusable polypropylene cups and event drinkware in-house at its Stockton-on-Tees facility. The portfolio spans Half Pint, Pint-to-Line, Pint-to-Brim, Two Pint, Stackable Wine, Hot Drinks, and Cocktail cup formats, decorated via single-colour screen print or full-colour In-Mould Labelling (IML). Products are sold factory-direct via e-commerce to festivals, stadiums, arenas, breweries, and party planners with UKCA/CE marking for legal alcohol service.
Product overview
EcoCups is a UK manufacturer of custom-printed reusable plastic cups and event drinkware, operating as a trading name of Tees Valley Plastics Ltd. The product portfolio centres on reusable polypropylene cups in multiple sizes (Half Pint 330ml, Pint 568ml/625ml, Two Pint) and formats (standard, stackable, wine, hot drinks). Printing options include single-colour screen print and full-colour In-Mould Labelling (IML). The company sells directly to event organisers, festivals, stadiums, arenas, venues, and wedding/party planners through a factory-direct model, offering custom branding, CE/UKCA marking for legal alcohol service, 48-hour express delivery, and a 10% Price Beat Guarantee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pint to Line (Full Colour)
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces single-use waste by up to 85%
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use EcoCups
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
EcoCups technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
EcoCups partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EcoCups competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cup Print: Cup Print (Ireland/UK) is a custom-printed reusable cup specialist serving European events, festivals, and brand activations. It is a directly comparable custom-print reusable cup peer, competing for the same B2B event-organiser and brand-sponsor customers.
- rCUP: rCUP is a UK-based reusable cup manufacturer offering deposit-return and custom-branded event cups. It is the most directly comparable domestic competitor to Eco Cups, with overlapping festival, venue, and event customers and similar PP-based product positioning.
- Alia Cup: Alia Cup is a UK reusable cup company focused on event and venue cup schemes including deposit-return programmes. Comparable as a direct competitor to Eco Cups in UK reusable event drinkware, particularly for festivals and venues.
- Better World Cups: Better World Cups is a UK-based reusable cup supplier focused on events and hospitality venues. Comparable to Eco Cups as a direct competitor in the UK custom reusable cup market, with overlapping event and venue customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Huhtamaki: Huhtamaki is a global food and beverage packaging manufacturer with a broad flexible and rigid packaging portfolio including foodservice cups. It is a broad incumbent in the same beverage packaging category Eco Cups addresses, though without Eco Cups' dedicated reusable cup focus.
- Berry Global: Berry Global is a major global plastic packaging manufacturer producing rigid containers, bottles, and cups across consumer and foodservice markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent plastic-packaging manufacturer overlapping with Eco Cups' PP rigid cup category.
- Pactiv Evergreen: Pactiv Evergreen is a large North American foodservice and beverage packaging manufacturer producing cups, containers, and lids at industrial scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent rigid-plastic packaging manufacturer overlapping with Eco Cups' product category.
Emerging players
- Notpla: Notpla is a UK-based sustainable packaging company using seaweed and plant-based coatings for foodservice and event packaging. Comparable as an emerging sustainable-packaging competitor targeting the same event and hospitality customers with an alternative material thesis.
- Vegware: Vegware is a UK-based manufacturer of compostable plant-based foodservice packaging including cups. It is an emerging player competing in the same events/catering end market as Eco Cups but using a different (compostable) material platform.
Regional players
- BioPak: BioPak is an Australia/NZ-headquartered sustainable foodservice packaging supplier (compostable cups and containers) expanding into European and UK markets. Comparable as a regional sustainable-packaging peer competing for the same event and hospitality customers as Eco Cups outside ANZ.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EcoCups social profiles
Digital presenceEcoCups financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EcoCups leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
EcoCups funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EcoCups M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EcoCups
What does EcoCups do?
EcoCups manufactures custom-printed reusable polypropylene cups and event drinkware in-house at its Stockton-on-Tees facility. The portfolio spans Half Pint, Pint-to-Line, Pint-to-Brim, Two Pint, Stackable Wine, Hot Drinks, and Cocktail cup formats, decorated via single-colour screen print or full-colour In-Mould Labelling (IML). Products are sold factory-direct via e-commerce to festivals, stadiums, arenas, breweries, and party planners with UKCA/CE marking for legal alcohol service.
Is EcoCups a public or private company?
EcoCups is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was EcoCups founded?
EcoCups was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is EcoCups based?
EcoCups is headquartered in Stockton-on-tees, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does EcoCups make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Printed Reusable Cups are the primary driver. The others are wholesale/Bulk Orders and wedding and Party Cups.
Who are EcoCups's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cup Print, rCUP, Alia Cup and Better World Cups. Broad incumbents are Huhtamaki, Berry Global and Pactiv Evergreen. Emerging players are Notpla and Vegware. BioPak is listed as a regional player.
Does EcoCups have an API?
No public API is recorded for EcoCups.
What industry is EcoCups in?
EcoCups's product category is Reusable Event Drinkware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAAAI, Beverage Rigid Plastic Packaging (Water, CSD, Juice Bottles). Its NAICS code is 326160 and its SIC code is 3080.