Coffeebar and OKAPI Reusables pour out a cup-exchange program.
written by Heidi Bethel
photos by Trystan French
Gone are the days of Styrofoam cups and plastic lids containing our beverages of choice for the road. The folks at Coffeebar (in Reno-Tahoe and the Bay Area) now offer a new option to decrease the devastating disposable cup carbon footprint, thanks to a partnership with OKAPI Reusables.
Last September, Bay Area-based OKAPI Reusables implemented its borrow-and-return reusable cup service at all Coffeebar locations.
“We were really grateful that Coffeebar embraced our reusable cup option and was willing to be the first café to bring this to the Reno-Tahoe area,” says Emily Chueh, co-founder of OKAPI Reusables. “We hope more cafés will join on to make reusables more available and the default over time. I think folks in Tahoe are especially aware of the trash issue and the sensitivity of our environment, so we are excited to be in this community.”
Swap and Sip As part of the program, which features insulated, stainless-steel cups for hot and cold drinks, customers may opt in to OKAPI Reusables for a one-time fee of $10, allowing them to borrow up to two cups at a time using the OKAPI app. Participants then have two weeks to return the cup to any Coffeebar location or any of the other 50+ cafés in the OKAPI network.
Borrow-and-return cups from OKAPI Reusables are available at all Coffeebar locations, to help eliminate waste. Simply pay a one-time fee and return the cup within two weeks
The OKAPI Reusables concept addresses a large source of waste in the beverage industry. According to ReThink Disposable, Americans use 120 billion disposable cups per year. Only a small fraction of café visitors have established a habit of bringing their own cups, regardless of whether they’re imbibing inside or taking their drinks on the go.
“Coffeebar is excited to partner with OKAPI for our cup exchange for two big reasons: accessibility and reach,” says Greg Buchheister, founder and CEO of Coffeebar. “OKAPI removes the upfront cost of purchasing cups as a barrier to starting a cup-exchange program with its pay-as-you-go option, which made it possible for Coffeebar to adopt the program companywide.
“We believe a program that allows customers to exchange cups at any of their favorite coffee shops will ultimately have more success, furthering our primary goal of keeping more single-use cups out of the waste stream. Our hope is that other coffee shops in our cities will get in on the action.”
For details about the OKAPI Reusables cup exchange program or to find participating Coffeebar locations at which to drop off a cup, visit Okapi-reusables.com.
