Use This Cup and Help Save the Planet
Credit: Samantha Bolton
A fruity, edible, gummy cup: The sweet stuff of grade school dreams, the perfect solution to a college kid’s case of the drunchies, or an innovative and eco-friendly answer to the issue of sustainability? How about all three?
Totally edible, biodegradable, bright, and fun, Loliware’s line of cups is looking to take the green scene — and your cocktail party — by storm.
The idea for the colorful cups was born in 2010, when owners Leigh Ann Tucker and Chelsea Briganti entered a competition for Jell-O. The goal was to create a cup that could be eaten or broken down naturally, rather than tossed in a landfill. Both trained as industrial designers, Tucker and Briganti were inspired by the translucent, moldable, and biodegradable nature of the gelatin and designed their first environmentally conscious chalice.
Priding themselves on being totally “biodegr(edible),” Loliware products are vegan and made with plant-based gelatin.
A pack of the earth-friendly cups, sold exclusively through their website, will set you back $12 for 4 or $115 for 48. They come in a variety of flavor choices, including Citrus, Matcha, Tart Cherry, and Madagascar Vanilla.
This isn’t the first foray into edible cups. KFC tested a biscuit-based coffee cup earlier this year. There’s also the Crunchy Cup, which is a cup made of cookie, and coated with a thin coat of sugar. While not edible, a startup called c2cup created a coffee mug made from coffee waste.
Now, back to Loliware, and how it tastes. Full disclosure: Not being a huge fan of gummy textures — and being the one kid in the lunch room who wasn’t totally wild about Fruit by the Foot — I was hesitant about the gelatinous nature of the cups. However, for the sake of journalistic integrity (and getting to sip cocktails in the middle of the work day), I tried one out for myself.
Much as I expected, the Loliware had the tough, chewy texture of licorice (warning: there’s not really a dainty or ladylike way to tear off a bite) and the taste of an artisan Fruit Roll Up, if ever there was such a thing. Overall, they’re sweet enough to resemble the fruit snacks of your childhood, but not so sugary as to overpower your cocktail of choice.
While the cups are more of a novelty item at their current price, with the bright future of the sustainable food movement, one day these edible basins could be making the world a cleaner, tastier place — and what could be better than that?
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