An Irish company has become the first to install a revolutionary new packaging machine to produce Frugalpac’s environmentally friendly coffee cups.
County Clare-based Cup Print already produces standard cups for clients including Mars, Kraft and Bunzl, making 150 million cups a year. The new machine will allow Frugalpac to meet the high demand for trials and testing from interested customers, including Starbucks, it said.
Frugalpac will eventually licence the technology to other cup manufacturers on a non-exclusive basis so that customers can remain with their existing suppliers.
Frugalpac said that its paper coffee cups could help to address the problem that ‘only one in 400’ cups is currently recycled. The cup is made from recycled paper, is competitively priced and recyclable in normal paper mills. And a test by the independent inspection, product testing and certification company Intertek found the carbon footprint of a Frugalpac cup is about half that of many normal paper takeaway cups.
Martin Myerscough (left) and Terry Fox welcomed the partnership.
Frugalpac founder Martin Myerscough said: “We’re delighted that Cup Print have taken our first Frugalpac machine and will now be able to deliver our cups for trials and testing. It’s a big step for Frugalpac and a signal of our confidence not only in the cup but also in the market for it.
“We have received interest from around the world for the Frugalpac cup, including from Starbucks. Our new facility at Cup Print will allow us to start to meet this demand.
“Ultimately we will build even larger Frugalpac machines for cup producers by licensing the technology to them. But we’re really pleased that Cup Print is our first partner.”
Terry Fox, Cup Print’s managing director, added: “We’re thrilled that Cup Print has been chosen to mass produce the first Frugalpac cups. Cup Print is the world’s fastest paper cup manufacturer and produces single wall and double wall cups.
“We already supply independent cafés and marketing companies all over Europe and we look forward to being able to offer the Frugalpac cup to them, following the forthcoming tests and trials with several potential customers. The interest and excitement we’ve seen for this innovative and easier-to-recycle coffee cup has been remarkable and we look forward to playing our part in taking it to market.”
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