Cups Full founder Katherine Willis adapted an idea encountered in Japan into portable coffee bags, using product design and clearer caffeine choices to address the frustrations of coffee on the move.
An everyday inconvenience can reveal a business opportunity. For Katherine Willis, founder of Cups Full, that opportunity lay between the quality associated with speciality coffee and the convenience people need while travelling, working or spending time outdoors. Her solution puts ground coffee into individual bags that brew directly in water.
An Idea Brought Home from Japan
Willis encountered individual pour-over coffee bags during a visit to Japan. Their portability appealed to her, but balancing paper supports over different cups and pouring water gradually through the grounds introduced complications. The format was also less straightforward for someone wanting cold brew.
She began exploring a sealed immersion bag that could sit inside a cup or flask. The aim was to remove equipment and loose grounds while retaining the experience of freshly brewed coffee. Her previous work as a barista provided further insight into queues, cleaning, labour and the practical limitations of preparing even a simple black coffee.
Giving Customers More Choice
Cups Full’s Peace, Pace and Power range offers different caffeine levels. Willis sees that information as a way to give customers more control over their choice, rather than asking them to infer caffeine content from a drink’s size or perceived strength.
Developing the range required attention to roast, grind, extraction and flavour, alongside work with a roasting partner and laboratory specialists. Convenience was not intended to remove the differences that make coffee interesting. The product’s appeal rests on making those qualities more accessible in settings where equipment would be inconvenient.
Designing for Real Journeys
The bags can be used with hot or cold water, although cold brewing still takes time. Individual portions also allow users to prepare only what they need. The company describes the bags as compostable and its outer pouches as reusable or recyclable. These are part of the brand’s stated approach to reducing preparation and waste.
Willis’s experience across marketing, sales and growth supports an ambition to reach customers through ecommerce, retailers and partnerships connected with travel and adventure. The broader lesson is about product design: a familiar ritual can find new audiences when the obstacles surrounding it are removed.
Source: DipTalk. Adapted from the original interview published by Mosaic Digest. Image from the original Mosaic Digest feature.