Cups Galore, an Australian owned and operated manufacturer and supplier of high-quality custom printed coffee and drink cups, is amping up its production of sustainable cups as exhibitions across the country resume.

The company’s director, Vik Gulati, who also runs Westman Printing, said the business is seeing heightened activity in the exhibitions space and is back to producing its sustainable, custom-printed cups.

“Post-COVID, we got our first orders last month, showing that the exhibitions space is starting to come back. We’re seeing heightened activity,” he said.

“Cups Galore is environmentally focused when it comes to producing our eco-friendly products. Our cups are not only produced with minimal environmental impact, but are also completely safe to use. Our PE coated cup material is made of 100 per cent virgin pulp. This means that the raw materials do not contain any post-consumer recycled materials.

“The wood chips are sourced from legally logged sustainable forests and reputable suppliers. Offset printing is completed using soy and linseed based ink which has passed US FDA testing.

“It is food safe, 100 per cent solvent free and non-toxic. Each component of our coffee cups (paper boards, inks and plastic lids) have been tested and have passed both EU regulations & US FDA standards. We can also display a recyclable logo on our cups.”

Cups Galore produces these cups in three sizes – small, medium and large, at eight ounces, 12 ounces and 16 ounces respectively.

The company also prints them in single- and double-wall options, recommending the single-wall version for cafes and the double-wall version for exhibitions and trade events as they provide better quality prints.

“The double-wall cups are for marketing. It’s all about creating the best look and with a second wall, there’s so much more that you can do in terms of embellishment like foiling or spot varnishing,” Gulati said.

“For example, we produced 10,000 cups for Johnnie Walker pre-COVID, using metallic gold embellishment on a matte black cup.”

Cups Galore is also working on further improving the recyclability of its solutions. It is currently in Stage 2 of testing a recyclable and compostable paper cup solution that uses a water-based resin as an inner lining.

“Traditionally, paper cups have a PE lining, which is made of plastic. We’re currently testing a recyclable and compostable paper cup using a water-based resin. If our tests come to fruition, we’ll be the first in Australia to launch it and phase out the older PE-lined cups,” Gulati added.

“There aren’t many players left in the Australian market doing paper cup manufacturing, and with customers demanding more environmentally friendly options, we have to cater to that demand. Yes, the environmentally friendlier options are about 50 per cent more costly, but if they’re after these solutions, they should be prepared to pay the price.”