The Australian start-up Good-Edi is offering a revolutionary solution to the disposable cup dilemma – an edible coffee cup. With the contemporary market leaning towards sustainability and eco-friendly products, the creation by founders Aniyo Rahebi and Catherine Hutchins couldn’t be more timely. Their innovative product targets a global issue, aiming to dramatically reduce the billions of non-recyclable disposable cups that contribute to landfill waste.
Good-Edi currently services numerous Australian establishments, from local coffee shops and roasters to concert venues. The most significant challenge they face at present is scaling their production to meet the vast demands of the takeaway coffee industry. They currently produce 500 cups per day, a mere fraction of the estimated 2.7 million disposable cups discarded daily in Australia alone. The founders, however, have ambitious plans, and they aspire to expand their business internationally, hoping to make a substantial dent in the global consumption of 250 billion disposable cups annually.
These edible cups offer a choice – you can consume them, or if you prefer not to, they’re compostable at home. If they do end up in landfill, they will decompose in two to six weeks. Yet, with Good-Edi, it almost seems a shame to toss them away, when you can quite literally have your cake – or in this case, your coffee – and eat it too.
The concept of Good-Edi was sparked over a morning coffee. With over 20 years of experience in the corporate food-processing sector, Rahebi and Hutchins knew they wanted to address the coffee industry’s packaging problem. They found that even cups marketed as compostable often ended up in landfill due to inadequate recycling facilities and limited access to commercial composting. Reusable cups presented their own issues – they needed to be used up to 100 times to offset the carbon emissions of disposable ones and were often forgotten or found inconvenient by consumers. The founders concluded that the ideal solution would be an edible cup that could also naturally decompose – a zero-waste option that wouldn’t compromise user experience or convenience.
Eight months later, in June 2021, the first Good-Edi cup was produced in Melbourne. Though the sustainability sector is crowded, Good-Edi managed to stand out, courtesy of their unique offering and their strategic approach. They successfully raised start-up funds through grants, a reward-based crowdfunding campaign, and private contributions from friends and family. They then set up their production facility in Coburg, Australia.
Navigating the start-up world required a fresh set of skills, and they embraced the learning curve, participating in an accelerator program called HATCH, run by the Taronga Conservation Society. The program was instrumental in helping them learn how to build their start-up, providing them with valuable connections to mentors, experts, and like-minded individuals. As a result, they understood the importance of reaching out to experts and were grateful for the assistance they received, which enabled them to achieve their goals in a short timeline.
However, they soon realized that despite their strong sustainability focus, they were being evaluated and measured as a profit-driven business. This could be a challenging aspect, especially since they were trying to effect a cultural shift in consumption habits, which doesn’t necessarily align with traditional profit-driven business models. Nonetheless, Good-Edi remains unique in its commitment to sustainability, and the founders hope for more support from organizations and venture capitalists that value impact over profit margins.
Good-Edi represents a promising stride in the pursuit of a sustainable future in the coffee industry. With their edible cups, you can enjoy your coffee and know you’re contributing to a more sustainable world – a truly gratifying coffee experience.
