Drink your coffee then eat the rest: Air New Zealand testing edible cups

Air New Zealand is determined to make a difference when it comes to sustainability and reducing waste from flights. For its latest innovation, the New Zealand flag carrier has teamed up with local Kiwi family-run business Twiice to create an edible coffee cup, which is being trialed in lounges in Auckland and on some flights between Australia and New Zealand.

The biscotti cups are vanilla flavored and couple up as a sweet treat for passengers once they’ve finished their hot coffee or tea. The trial comes not long after the airline introduced biodegradable cups on the ground and in the air in the hope that the eight million coffee cups that the airline serves per year would not end up in landfills.

The leak and heatproof wheat flour, sugar, egg, and vanilla cups are said to be going down a treat with passengers.

“I thought it was very pleasant, it was a nice way to finish the coffee,” said one Air New Zealand customer.

The airline also encourages its passengers to bring reusable cups onboard flights and to lounges. The airline hopes that in addition to the recycled water bottles that it already uses, the edible cups will be scalable and become a long-term viable replacement for single-use plastic cups.

While the cups are the only initiative between the two companies, for the time being, Jamie Cashmore, cofounder of Twice, said that the company is also working to develop a line of edible plates and dishes.

In July 2019, Air New Zealand announced that condiments served on board like salad dressing and soy sauce would be served in reusable bowls rather than individual plastic packets.