Airline experiments with using edible coffee cups

Air New Zealand is trialling coffee cups that can be eaten like a normal biscuit once the passenger has finished their coffee

Spotted: Air New Zealand has been trialling edible biscotti coffee cups made by Twiice, a New Zealand based, family-run business. According to the airline, they serve more than eight million cups of coffee a year and want to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

The vanilla-flavoured cups are made from wheat flour, sugar, egg, vanilla essence and a natural vanilla flavour, and can be eaten like a normal biscuit once the passenger has finished their coffee. They are leakproof and stay crisp for as long as it takes to drink the coffee or longer. However, those who are allergic to gluten, dairy products or nuts should be careful because the cups contain gluten and may also contain traces of dairy and nuts.

Air New Zealand has been trialling the edible cups in its Auckland lounges and on some selected trans-Tasman flights. At the moment there is still difficulty with introducing the cups across its entire route network. However, the airline will continue working with Twiice and other partners to explore scaling options that could make it a viable long-term product.

Other innovations in the coffee industry spotted by Springwise include a foldable coffee cup that leaves a spout to drink from and eliminates the need for a plastic lid and biodegradable sunglasses made from coffee and cotton.