Our Story
Hi, we’re Kate and Mark. Together we created Bottlecup to answer our own need. One that we likely share with many of you.
Going Zero
Back in 2013, we embarked on a zero waste lifestyle and Kate started sharing our journey and what we learned via her YouTube channel Eco Boost. We embraced reusables and began refusing, reducing, reusing, recycling and the rest. We started to marvel at just how little waste we produced simply through our new small daily actions. We also became very familiar with the inconvenience of carrying multiple reusable items!
Lightbulb
Our "lightbulb" moment came in 2017 when Mark arrived at a meeting in a cafe laden with his laptop, pad of paper, pen, phone, keys, wallet, water bottle and coffee cup balanced in his hands. As he approached the table his pile promptly exploded and clattered to the floor. Great first impression!
As Mark picked up his reusable water bottle and coffee cup from the floor, a thought popped into his head: “these two things should be one item!”. A single thing to grab and go! The water bottle needed a trusty side kick!
After all, carrying so many items was inconvenient, but we really didn't like the idea of using disposables - especially once we learned around 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups were used and thrown away each year in the UK alone - and this number was steadily growing. We also discovered only 1 in 400 of those were actually being recycled with the rest ending up in landfill, polluting our streets, our oceans and waterways. We wanted to prevent this.
When 2 become 1
So a three and a half year journey began to create a superbly engineered, 100% plastic free product designed to make it easier for you to carry your reusable coffee cup on the go. Our Bottlecup had to marry convenience, function, attractive design and most importantly, be fun to use!
We've gone to town on the details such as the coffee cup lid which is stored safely and hygienically in the base of the cup when not in use. The bottlecup waist has a curve which creates a comfortable position to place your hand. The silicone band not only adds a pop of colour, but crucially provides a seal between the bottle and cup to prevent coffee dribbles after use. And we've even added a little extra finger space when holding the carry loop thanks to the subtle concave bottle lid. Not a millimetre was overlooked!
Values
When designing Bottlecup, it was important to us to reduce waste along the way.
We made early prototypes out of wood (yes, really!) instead of plastic and work with a B Corp certified supply chain partner. We have only used materials that would ensure longevity and refused all plastic in the final product. But wait, there's more! We're taking responsibility for recycling your Bottlecup when it eventually comes to the end of it's use (a very, very, very long time away in the future!). Send it back to us and we'll do the rest.
All of these little details may have added more time and challenges to the process but our ambition was to deliver the best possible product that people would enjoy for many years to come.
Bottlecup is carefully considered and solidly engineered. It’s ethically made and 100% plastic-free. It’s satisfying to hold, to take apart and thread back together. Oh, and it looks great! We couldn’t be prouder of it!
We’ve loved creating Bottlecup and truly hope that it brings a little joy to your 'to-go’! Mark & Kate :)
