Name

THE CIRCULAR MINDSET CIC

Legal name

The Circular Mindset CIC

Website

https://thecircularmindset.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bude

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Community Interest Company - Reinvestment Model: The Circular Mindset CIC is a Community Interest Company (CIC). All profits generated are reinvested directly into funding impactful community projects. Revenue is derived from deposits paid by customers on borrowed cups (which are refunded on return), grant funding (National Lottery Community Fund), and community sponsorship (ReFill Shop Bude). The organisation does not distribute profits to shareholders.
2. Grant Funding: The 12-month pilot of Cup Club Bude is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, which provides funding for reusable cups, lids, signage, communications, scheme administration, and direct work with local businesses and the community.
3. Community Sponsorship: ReFill Shop Bude, a zero-waste CIC, provided generous sponsorship to support Cup Club Bude's expansion, cup acquisition, awareness campaigns, and community outreach.
4. Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund Match Funding: Match funding from Cornwall Council's Climate and Nature Fund, accessed via a community Crowdfunder campaign that hit its target a day early in October 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Circular Mindset CIC operates Cup Club Bude, Cornwall's first community-led returnable cup scheme. Customers pay a £1 refundable deposit to borrow a reusable cup at any of 11+ participating cafes and hospitality venues in Bude, enjoy their drink, and return the cup to any member venue to receive the full deposit back (or leave it as a donation). The CIC reinvests all surplus into environmental sustainability and community projects in Bude and surrounding North Cornwall.

Product overview

The Circular Mindset CIC operates Cup Club Bude as its primary initiative—a deposit-based returnable cup scheme that serves as Cornwall's first town-wide circular economy pilot. The scheme allows customers to borrow reusable cups (with a £1 deposit) from any participating venue and return them to any other member venue, creating a town-wide network effect. The company also runs community workshops to build local skills and capacity. All profits are reinvested into community benefit projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cup Club Bude: Cornwall's first community-led returnable coffee cup scheme - a deposit-based system where customers borrow reusable cups from participating cafés, enjoy their drinks, and return cups to any member venue for a full deposit refund.

Products and services

• Cup Club Bude A community-led, deposit-based returnable cup scheme operating across cafes and hospitality venues in Bude, Cornwall. Customers borrow reusable Cup Club cups at point of sale for a £1 refundable deposit, enjoy their takeaway hot drink, and return the cup to any participating member venue to receive the deposit back in full (or optionally leave it as a donation to the scheme).
• Community Workshops Skill-building workshops held at partner venues for community members, designed to empower local people with practical skills (such as design/Canva training) and strengthen local economic resilience.

Quantifiable outcome

• The UK uses 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups per year, with less than 1% recycled
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Circular&CocoreTechnology or IntegrationCircular&Co is a Cornwall-based pioneer of reusable products and the supplier of Cup Club Bude's reusable cups. Each cup is designed to be durable and long-lasting, etched with the Cup Club Bude logo and a QR code. Circular&Co has generously supported the scheme to make the pilot viable, providing product expertise and supply of reusable cups. The partnership enables Cup Club Bude to launch with high-quality, durable cups and positions the scheme within the broader circular economy ecosystem.
• ReFill Shop BudesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerReFill Shop Bude, a zero-waste Community Interest Company, provided generous sponsorship to Cup Club Bude. The sponsorship supports scaling the cafe network, acquiring more returnable cups, raising awareness through outreach campaigns and signage, and strengthening community ties through joint events. ReFill Shop Bude's ethos of 'no extra packaging, no excess food, just exactly what you need' mirrors Cup Club Bude's reuse philosophy.
• Bude-Stratton Town CouncilsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBude-Stratton Town Council has officially endorsed Cup Club Bude and The Circular Mindset CIC with a formal letter of support. The Council's Facilities and Environmental Committee received a presentation on the returnable cup scheme in September 2025 and stated: '(Bude-Stratton Town Council) is very supportive of the group's aims to minimise use of throw-away packaging, and this very much aligns with the Council's environmental policies and ethos.' The Castle Bude, operated by the Council, also hosts Café Limelight which joined the scheme.
• Ben Maguire, MP for North CornwallsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBen Maguire MP has given full public support to Cup Club Bude and The Circular Mindset CIC. His endorsement adds political weight, strengthens funding applications, and provides a national voice for the community project. Quote: 'This project aligns strongly with Cornwall's ambitions for sustainability and waste reduction, while also supporting local businesses to prepare for a future less reliant on single-use packaging.'
• Chris Hines MBEsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerChris Hines MBE, environmental campaigner, co-founder of Surfers Against Sewage, former Sustainability Director at the Eden Project, and founder of A Grain of Sand, has endorsed Cup Club Bude. Quote: 'this great pilot that has the potential to set a blueprint for the way that communities can change the way they deal with materials and resources and start that progress towards a circular economy.'

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Circular&Co: Cornwall-based reusable products company and the actual supplier of Cup Club Bude's cups. Operates a broader reusable cup and tableware business (Cup4Crockery, rCup, etc.) and is a strategic partner; comparable as a Cornwall-based reusable-cup ecosystem player that could evolve into a direct competitor or consolidator.
• Too Good To Go: Large impact-driven platform combating food waste with restaurant and cafe partnerships across the UK. Comparable as a high-scale, community/mission-driven sustainability platform operating through the same cafe customer base that Cup Club Bude serves, though focused on surplus food rather than packaging.
• KeepCup: Established reusable cup brand sold to consumers and cafes worldwide. Comparable as a reusable cup ecosystem participant, though KeepCup's model is consumer-owned cups rather than a deposit-return network like Cup Club Bude.

Direct peers

• CupClub: UK-based tech-enabled returnable cup scheme that partners with cafes and workplaces to provide reusable packaging with digital tracking. Directly comparable to Cup Club Bude as a deposit/return-style reusable cup network, but operating nationally with a digital return mechanism — the main differentiator versus Bude's honesty-based pilot.
• Globelet: Reusable cup and container network with smart tracking technology, operating multiple city pilots globally. Directly comparable as a tech-enabled reusable cup scheme targeting cafes and foodservice, with the key contrast being Globelet's scale and digital infrastructure versus Cup Club Bude's local, honesty-based model.
• Revolv (rCup): UK-based reusable cup operator offering returnable cup schemes to cafes and businesses, including the rCup product line. Directly comparable as a competing UK returnable cup network targeting the same cafe customer base as Cup Club Bude.

Emerging players

• Huskee: Reusable cup company with a 'Huskee Loop' returnable cup scheme piloted with specialty coffee operators. Comparable as a reusable cup brand extending into shared/returnable cup schemes for cafes, an adjacent model to Cup Club Bude.
• Recover Brands: Sustainable products brand with reuse and refill initiatives. Comparable thematically as a circular-economy brand, though its primary offering (apparel from recycled materials) is adjacent rather than directly competing in cup schemes.

Regional players

• City to Sea: UK environmental NGO running the 'Refill' app and campaigns to reduce single-use plastic, including reusable cup initiatives. Comparable as a UK-based community/behavioral-change organization driving reusable cup adoption in cafes and hospitality, with overlapping mission and stakeholders.

Others

• Surfers Against Sewage: Cornwall-roots environmental charity tackling plastic pollution on UK beaches, co-founded by Cup Club Bude endorser Chris Hines MBE. Comparable as a Cornwall-based environmental movement organization with overlapping mission and network; not a direct competitor but a closely aligned ecosystem actor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-circular-mindset-cic
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecircularmindset

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 THE CIRCULAR MINDSET CIC