Meet the paper cup manufacturer who is helping the UK hospitality industry to go green

Now managing director and founder Alison Hobson has her sights set on expanding the geographical reach of the business.

She said: “I’ve been spending quite a bit of time visiting production partners in Europe. We want to take what we’ve done in the UK and replicate it throughout Europe and then America and potentially into Australia.”

Cupapeel was created in 2019 when Mrs Hobson, founder and managing director of print and point-of-sale firm Just Peel, was approached by a global brewery, asking for her help to identify a solution to single use plastic beer cups.

She started to investigate new raw materials that were printable, functional and would hold liquid without the need for a plastic lining.

Mrs Hobson worked with cup machine manufacturers to create production technologies that allowed the material to form and heat seal without the need for glue. She eventually came up with a plastic free paper cup that is fully certified, recyclable – both at home and industrially, compostable, biodegradable, free of harmful toxins and certified as PFAS-free.

Cupapeel cups are made from an innovative board called Delipac which is manufactured by using integrated barrier technology eliminating the need for plastic linings.

The cup also provides an advertising opportunity for brands and venues.

Mrs Hobson said: "Paper cups are no longer just a simple drinking vessel, they are a fully brandable high quality advertising space.

"Usually being used at a time when customers are relaxed and in a social environment, providing an ideal brand reinforcement opportunity.”

Just Peel has doubled its turnover to just under £5m in the last two years. It expects to continue that rate of growth over the next 12 months, boosted by Cupapeel.

The pandemic had a positive effect on the business. Cupapeel was bedding in its production between 2020 and 2021. “It was a quiet time for everyone else but it wasn’t for me,” Mrs Hobson said. “When everything reopened nobody wanted to use a cup someone else had been drinking out of.

"It was chaotic because we didn’t know if festivals could go ahead but then they could so it was absolutely manic. Everybody needed cups at the last minute so it benefitted us.

Millions of Cupapeel’s paper cups have been manufactured to-date. The cups are a bit more expensive than non-recyclable disposable cups but their green credentials mean they are becoming more popular with big brands and venues.

"Our cups can be put in the normal waste stream without any special treatment. People are becoming more educated and realise that other paper cups aren’t the same,” Mrs Hobson said.

As well as paper cups, the business also produces waterproof paper ice buckets. "We intend to extend the range into food packaging because the material itself is ovenproof and microwavable so it's a very adaptable material,” Mrs Hobson said.