Recup has been working on a nationwide and uniform coffee-to-go deposit system in Germany for some time. Now the Munich-based startup is taking its first step abroad: the deposit system will be launched in Durban, South Africa, as its first international offshoot.
A sustainable alternative to disposable cups — with this idea, Recup changed the coffee-to-go game around a year and a half ago. And what began with around 50 partners in Munich can now be found at over 2,000 locations across Germany: a deposit system that replaces disposable cups with Recup deposit cups, which can be returned at all participating cafés, bakeries, etc. Now this deposit system is expanding abroad, as Durban, South Africa, is becoming the first Recup branch.
Test phase started
The company launched an initial test phase abroad with partners in Durban at the beginning of January 2019. The local partner, Cultivar Coffee, acts as an interface between coffee producers, roasters, and coffee lovers. The plan is for approximately 10 partner cafés on South Africa's east coast to serve their coffee in sustainable reusable cups by the end of January.
Recup is providing consulting support and, in addition to the brand identity and deposit cups, is also providing the IT infrastructure and all the accumulated experience. The startup aims to actively contribute to the rapid implementation of the deposit system in other countries. The Recup deposit cup welcomes coffee drinkers with the personalized lettering "How zit Durban" ("How's Durban?").
Cape Town could follow Durban
This mug joins the growing product range of city editions. If the test phase is successful, a comprehensive rollout will follow in Durban and Cape Town. Charles Denison, founder of Cultivar Coffee, says:
“We are excited to introduce this revolutionary concept […] and change the single-use landscape of our truly beautiful country.”
