Quick Brew: The Mozzo x Benders Story in a Sip
- Little Cup, Big Mission:
We've launched bright new takeaway cups that better reflect our values to uplift and fuel positive change.
- Lasting Partnership:
Mozzo has worked with Benders Paper Cups for 15 years (a UK manufacturer and recycling pioneer based in Wrexham, Wales).
- Sustainably Made:
Our cups are created using water-based inks and recyclable PE lining. Made from PEFC-certified paperboard, they are fully traceable back to the forest they came from. Just like our recyclable coffee pods, they’re designed with sustainability in mind
- Designed to Perform:
Each cup is rigorously tested (with real coffee!) to make sure it stands up to the heat and hustle of your day.
- Recycling: not perfect yet, but possible...
Yes, our cups can be recycled. Whilst nationwide infrastructure still needs work to get the cups to the specialist plants, you can find your local cup recycling point at recycle-more.co.uk
Bright Ideas Brewed Together…
At Mozzo, we take a bold approach to our coffee. Our paper cups are no exception. With the recent launch of our brand-new, colourful takeaway cups, now is the perfect opportunity to tell the big story of our little creations.
Kicking off by introducing our takeaway cup partner,Benders Paper Cups, based in Wrexham, Wales. Founded over a century ago, Benders are one of the leading authorities in the development of paper cup recycling.
There are many myths and misconceptions around recycling and sustainability. It’s important for us to be transparent about our sustainability efforts and help empower others to spot the difference between genuine progress and greenwashing.
The Mozzo x Benders Story
Mozzo and Benders’ partnership goes back 15 years, which alone is a testament to our shared ambitions and values. Back in 2010, we finally had the means to create our very first branded takeaway cup, going directly to the manufacturer. Not everyone saw our potential (one company laughed us out the door). Benders, they got it.
From day one, we shared a belief in doing things differently, with bold ideas, better design, and a real commitment to sustainability. That mutual mindset sparked a partnership that’s still going strong today, and every cup we’ve made together since has been proof of that.
A Splash of Colour
We felt it was time Mozzo stood out as much as the coffee inside.
These colours have been at the heart of Mozzo since our rebrand in August 2022, crafted by the brilliant brains at B&B Studio. They capture who we are: bright, uplifting, and unapologetically positive. This isn’t just a colour refresh; it’s a reflection of our mission to fuel positive change through truly uplifting coffee. Every cup is now a vibrant extension of our purpose, proudly showing the world what Mozzo stands for.
Inside the Cup
You probably don’t give much thought to the cup that holds your daily coffee-to-go. But once you’ve seen how it’s made, you’ll never look at a paper cup the same way again.
We enjoyed a front row seat to the very first print run of our new 8oz cups and got to witness the process, in all its innovative and sustainable glory. At Benders, the process is not only fascinating, it’s rooted in sustainability and innovation…
Cups begin life as paperboard sourced from forests certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC): the world’s largest audited sustainable forestry program.
For every tree used, Benders ensures that three to four new ones are planted.
To maintain full transparency, each cup is stamped with a manufacturing traceability code, allowing it to be traced back to the forest where its journey began. This makes every cup traceable back to the very tree it came from.
From there, design is printed directly onto the paperboard using water-based inks (Benders was the first European manufacturer to switch from oil-based and solvent-based inks).
A thin layer of polyethene (PE) coating is applied to prevent leaks and keep your cup from going soggy. Yes, that’s plastic… But it’s recyclable, and we’ll unpack that in our myth-busting section.
And not forgetting the rim of our cup. It’s precision-rolled to provide a firm grip and ensure the lid stays put, even on the bumpiest of morning commutes. Because let’s be honest: no one wants to start their day with a coffee spill.
Cups are tested rigorously with real coffee to check for leaks, absorption, and strength to make sure they hold up under pressure (and Monday mornings).
Fun fact!
Here’s a fun bit of history we learnt… The technician pulled out an old-school wax-coated cup from the 1980s… the same kind used at Live Aid, like the ones perched on Freddie Mercury’s piano. And yep, that very same manufacturer now makes our Mozzo cups. No big deal.
What’s (Really) Recyclable when it comes to paper cups?
There’s a common belief that takeaway cups can’t be recycled in the UK, and while it’s not completely wrong, it’s not the whole picture either.
Most paper cups, including ours, are made from 95% sustainably sourced paper and a thin 5% polyethene (PE) lining to make them waterproof. While both materials are recyclable, the challenge lies in separating them and unfortunately, not every waste facility is set up to do that. The good news? The process exists, and it works. Cups are boiled, the plastic floats, the paper sinks, and both can be given a new lease of life (think notebooks, paper bags, traffic cones…).
But here’s the real issue: the infrastructure just isn’t where it needs to be yet. Recycling paper cups shouldn't require a treasure map, yet finding a dedicated bin is often harder than it should be. We need better systems, more accessible collection points, and a joined-up, top-down approach that makes cup recycling standard.
That said, there are things we can do in the meantime. A simple step like popping in your postcode at recycle-more.co.uk can show you nearby cup recycling points. These are often in coffee shops and high street stores. Just drop your cup in the right bin or hand it back to the barista.
So while we push for bigger change from the top, we can still take small, meaningful steps from the bottom.
Raising Every Cup Together
So, next time you grab a Mozzo coffee to go, take a second to look at the cup in your hand. It has a bigger story to tell than you might think…
We’re proud of the bold steps we’re taking, from sustainable sourcing to standout design, and we can’t wait to see our colourful cups in more hands, on more streets, fuelling more positive change.
