Tag Archives: tumbler

Starbucks Japan lets you put a barista apron on customizable tumblers

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Whenever I see the latest Starbucks merch that drops in Japan, I kind of regret not living there so I can get easy access to these cute collectibles. Eventually they become available in various online stores in my country but they’re more expensive of course, even for a semi-collector like me. The Starbucks Japan online store is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and they released a customizable tumbler that you can customize and make look like a cute inanimate barista.

Designer: Starbucks

The My Custom Stainless Steel Bottle Barista is an online store exclusive product that you can customize and order with a possible 343 combinations. When you take a look at the basic tumbler, it just looks like any other regular tumbler but the joy comes in creating one according to your color preference and then dressing it up with other accessories to make it more like you. This is supposedly like how you would customize your drink if you’re that kind of Starbucks drinker.

When you place your order online, you can choose what color your cap, drinking rim, and bottle will be. There are seven color options – black, white, light green, green, pink, blue, and gradated pink-yellow. But the cutest customization here is that you can dress up the tumbler in a barista apron in its iconic green color. The apron is not just decorative but also functional as it can help you hold your drink if it’s too warm or too cold. There’s also a pocket where you can place notes, cards, or the beverage ticket that comes with your online order that lets you enjoy a free refill when you go to your Starbucks.

They also want you to add even more personalized touches to your tumbler like ribbons, patches, pins, and stickers, although they don’t seem to be selling things like that. Maybe they’ll do so eventually, like how Crocs sells things like Jibbitz charms. I’m still hoping someone from Japan will send me one of these cool steel bottles, no matter what the color combinations are.

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Eco-friendly tumbler uses thermoplastic made from unused wood byproducts

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Coffee lovers have thankfully become more conscious of the harmful effect their drinking habit has, not on their bodies but on the planet. Plastic cups are the biggest culprits, of course, but even paper cups actually take a toll on the environment in the long run. Paper is sustainable and biodegradable, but the rate at which we manufacture the material is faster than we can grow trees to maturity. At the same time, normal wood isn’t exactly a good material for reusable cups or tumblers that are becoming the go-to solution for environment-conscious drinkers of coffee, tea, or water. This design concept tries to offer a middle ground with a seemingly magic thermoplastic tumbler that is actually made from unused wood.

Designer: Kim Jiwoo (Designer Dot)

Wood is a material well-loved by designers because of its innate beauty and sustainability. But while it does grow on trees, trees don’t grow overnight. And while there are alternatives that make use of recycled synthetic materials like plastic, these don’t easily decompose like wood, which can turn into material that nourishes the soil that trees grow on. In other words, wood is the perfect circular economy material, and it would be great if it could take on the beneficial properties of plastic as well.

CXP or Cellulose Cross-linked Polymer is that growing (no pun intended) solution that promises the best of both worlds. It’s made of wood, specifically the cellulose that is the building block of trees and plants, but it has also been plasticized through specific chemical processes that are fortunately easy to reproduce. Unlike bioplastics that need very specific conditions before they decompose, CXP behaves exactly like wood in this regard. In other words, once this tumbler has reached the end of its life, it can be even used to nourish the soil for other trees whose discarded wood will be used to make more thermoplastics.

LINK is the expression of this sustainability innovation, a tumbler that tries to signify the connection between humans and trees on multiple levels. Its handle is intentionally shaped like a branch sprouting from a tree trunk, sporting a length that is ergonomic for any hand size. The trunk, which is the main body of the tumbler, is also shaped with ridges that try to mimic the uneven surfaces of trees, while also adding to the grippiness of the container.

Unlike a regular wooden vessel, LINK can be used to hold hot beverages like coffee since it is also a conventional thermoplastic. Spills, leaks, and slips can be prevented by using eco-friendly silicone, perhaps the only concession to this design. And because of the very nature of such recycled materials, there will be very noticeable specks of color that give each tumbler a unique identity that represents its special link to all life on the planet through wood.

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These earth-friendly sustainable cups add joy to every drink without harming the planet

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Even with all the advice to drink plenty of water each day, few people actually pay attention to what they drink. Even fewer, unfortunately, pay attention to what they’re drinking from. Glassware is common in some homes and fine dining, but you’re more likely to see plastic vessels everywhere else. This synthetic material does have its advantages, especially when it comes to durability, but its harmful effects on the environment have already piled up. Fortunately, you can have your personal cup and drink from it, too, thanks to the fusion of innovative, earth-friendly materials and simple yet elegant design, giving birth to this sustainable tumbler that brings a profound experience to every sip.

Designer: PAPLUS

Click Here to Buy Now: $22.50 $25 (10% off at checkout).

There are many plant-derived synthetic resins available today, but the most popular among them is PLA or polylactic acid, a thermoplastic derived from the lactic acid of fermented corn starch and sugar cane juice, among other natural sources. PAPLUS is a new type of thermoplastic resin that mixes biodegradable paper to add the heat resistance, durability, and moldability that normal PLA lacks. And from this innovative material, this earth-friendly tumbler is born.

Unlike the artificial smoothness of plastic, the PAPLUS Tumbler’s use of this environment-friendly material creates a unique texture that can be compared to ceramic or wooden cups. Each sip brings not only a wonderful flavor to your tongue but also an engaging sensation to your lips, elevating the act of drinking to a new level of sensory experience. Thanks to the heat resistance of 120°C, you can enjoy that moment whether your favorite drink is piping-hot cocoa or ice-cold barley tea.

This plastic-free drinking device doesn’t just mimic the sensation of elegant cups, it even looks the part as well. Using black pigments dissolved in harmless urethane, the tumbler achieves a matte black coating on the outside that looks naturally glossy without using blasting methods. The inside retains the PAPLUS’ natural brownish color and texture to yield a distinctive two-tone design. Over time, the color does become uneven and fade from use, revealing the individuality of the owner through the unique wear patterns that set it apart from each and every tumbler.

This tumbler’s commitment to protecting the environment extends to its packaging, made from 100% recycled paper from old newspapers and magazines. And, when it finally reaches the end of its service, the biodegradable tumbler can be treated as burnable waste or, better yet, recycled for a different purpose. With this elegant earth-friendly tumbler, each drink becomes not only a toast to memories but also a toast to the planet’s longer life.

Click Here to Buy Now: $22.50 $25 (10% off at checkout).

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This sustainable coffee cup can help your plants grow at the end of its own life

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Some say that the world runs on coffee or that coffee is what actually makes it go round. Regardless of opinion, there’s no denying how much of the brown liquid is consumed every day, whether at home or especially from coffee shops like the famous (or infamous) Starbucks. When taking the latter into account, you can’t but help consider the amount of waste the coffee industry is producing simply from the cups alone, whether plastic or biodegradable paper. More conscientious coffee lovers have switched to reusable tumblers to help minimize their impact on the environment, but that is only half a step better than using plastic drinkware. This portable coffee cup, in contrast, takes the product’s lifecycle into account and puts it to good use even when you can no longer drink from it.

Designer: Alex Philpott (Beta Design Office)

Most coffee tumblers today are made from a combination of materials such as plastic, rubber, metal, and silicone. While some of these might be considered sustainable, the sum of the parts isn’t. These reusable drinking vessels naturally last a lot longer than the disposable variety served at many coffee shops, but they still end up polluting the land and seas at the end of their lives. Definitely not a good way to give back to the Earth that produces the coffee beans and water that fuel our modern lives.

That’s where the Earthmade Aromacup sets itself apart. Using Bamboo-O, an eco-friendly material made from bamboo fiber and plant starch, these travel coffee cups offer a significantly more sustainable option than typical silicone or thermal tumblers. More than just the materials and processes, however, the drinkware’s life continues even after it is no longer usable, at least not by humans. It can be easily used as compost material at home, contributing to the healthy growth of plants that, in turn, could nourish our food or clean up the air at the very least.

Beyond its sustainability, however, the Earthmade Aromacup also offers practical features matched with a clean aesthetic. A user-friendly keyhole locking mechanism makes it safe to bring your coffee or any favorite drink with you on the go, while easy disassembly makes it trivial to keep the cup clean and hygienic all the time. The cup’s soft body and ribbed texture offer a comfortable and safe grip when you need to take a sip anywhere.

The choice of single pastel colors, applied with food-safe coloring via a sustainable injection moulding process, visually sets it apart from most travel cups. At the same time, it appeals to the minimalist aesthetic that continues to trend, making these cups an attractive alternative to common, mass-produced coffee tumblers that also let owners feel good about their contribution to the Earth’s health every time they take a sip.

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Whiskey Gets a Scientific Upgrade: This Unique 5-Sided Glass Chills Rapidly for Peak Flavor

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While the words “on the rocks” sounds incredibly rustic, the folks at DIAMAS have engineered what they say is the most scientifically optimal modern classic hybrid glass ever created. Just like wine, ‘whiskey drinking’ is a multi-sensorial experience that involves your eyes and nose as much as your tastebuds. The DIAMAS Tumbler features a wonderful 5 convex faceted base that chills liquor evenly in just 15 seconds. Moreover, it comes with a matching dodecahedral granite whiskey stone that ensures maximum surface contact for rapid chilling, without the dilution you’d get from ice. More than just chilling your drink, the DIAMAS Tumbler looks highly sophisticated with its chiseled design and obsidian-colored stone. Although the hand-crafted stone is heavy, it appears to float within the vessel. It also creates the perfect conditions required via the 5 convex internal walls. Whilst swirling your fine spirit, watch the fluid dynamics take effect as it increases oxidization, forcing ethanol out, opening the delicate compounds letting your nose absorb all the notes before your tongue tastes them. In short, “on the rocks” has never tasted this good.

Designer: Christopher Jansen

Click Here to Buy Now: $47 $63 (25% off total with coupon code “YANKODESIGN”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

The DIAMAS Tumbler wraps science, ergonomics, and molecular gastronomy into one sweet package. Designed for redefining the liquor drinking experience, technologizing the future of whiskey and fine spirits, through fluid dynamics, cooling technology, and ergonomic design. It uses a unique design and a combination of tumbler + chilling stone to achieve the best results, i.e., chilled whiskey that’s distinctly aromatic, flavorful, and sans the burn.

The ‘Neat Chill’ Solution – 5 CONVEX-CHILL DESIGN™ chills liquor evenly in 15 seconds without dilution.

The glass itself is equal parts ergonomic to hold, and is engineered to honor the whiskey inside it. A faceted base fits the DIAMAS’ dodecahedral granite chilling stone perfectly. The 12-sided handcrafted stone provides much more surface contact with the spirit, chilling it in as little as 15 seconds without diluting it the way ice would. Meanwhile, a narrower drinking rim helps trap some of the vapors from the alcohol, so your nose smells those spicy, sweet notes while the whiskey coats your tongue. The narrow rim also ensures you can sip your alcohol without the glass blocking your view, allowing you to maintain eye contact with others while suavely enjoying some beautiful single-malt. The combination of the rapid chilling with the tumbler’s cleverly designed rim ensures that your whiskey gets the elevated treatment it deserves, going miles beyond what your current whiskey glass provides.

Enhanced Flavor – Whilst drinking, the stone tilts out and back into place, increasing oxidization, forcing ethanol to evaporate, allowing the narrow drinking rim to release the aromas onto the nose.

For the best cooling results, DIAMAS recommends chilling both the stone as well as the tumbler in a freezer for 2-3 hours. Once chilled, pour just 50ml of the liquor of your choice ‘on the rock’ and the DIAMAS Tumbler shows you what it’s capable of. The alcohol chills almost instantly with minimal dilution, and the granite helps it hold its cool temperature for longer. For best nosing results, however, ensure the glass and stone are at room temperature and not frozen. Meanwhile, the glass’ shape makes for a highly sophisticated drinking experience – something that even leading 16-time gold medal-winning Irish master distiller Darryl McNally agrees with, noticing a definite “marked difference” in how good his Limavady Irish whiskey tastes within the DIAMAS Tumbler.

The polished black finish on the cooling stone along with the transparent glass also creates a wonderful interplay between transparency and opaqueness, and between light and darkness – a feature that’s enhanced further by the golden tint of the alcohol you’re consuming. Early pioneers can pre-order the DIAMAS Tumbler at a discounted £39.50 ($49 USD) as a perfect addition to their home mini bar. Or better still, grab one for a friend, dad, brother, or business partner as a uniquely appealing (and creative) gift!

Click Here to Buy Now: $47 $63 (25% off total with coupon code “YANKODESIGN”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

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This ‘French Press for Tea’ gives you the perfect brew in a portable travel flask

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As an enthusiastic tea drinker myself, I’m honestly a little offended that we haven’t done much to make tea-brewing portable beyond the simple teabag. Sure, teabags are easy to carry around, but you don’t really have much of a choice when it comes to choosing your tea leaves… what’s inside the bag is inside the bag. Nevertheless, the teabag is a standard format, meant for a single small serving, which isn’t enough for some people who like their cup of tea to actually be a large mug of tea! Meet the ECLIPSE, a portable tea brewing station that isn’t as limiting or as archaic as the teabag. It combines a travel thermos and a french-press-style brewing system in one easy-to-use, easy-to-carry design, and lets you brew two cups (or one large mug) of the tea of your choice.

Designer: Chufunyu

Click Here to Buy Now: $98.10 $109 (10% off with Coupon Code ‘YANKO10’). Hurry, deal ends March 9th.

Measuring Graduations: Hiding inside the cap with 10ml spaced-out graduation lines for easy tea portioning wherever you go.

In all fairness, I’m not surprised that a device like the ECLIPSE hasn’t become ubiquitous all this while. Tea is the second-most consumed beverage in the world, and as far as tea cultures go, its brewing methods are still deeply rooted in tradition. What ECLIPSE does is simply modernize it, by providing the same steps you’d expect in regular tea brewing. The multi-part travel press comes with a measuring cup, a brewing teapot, a plunger (that acts as a strainer), and a drinking vessel.

Double Wall Vacuum: Consistent temperature ensures even extraction during infusion and great taste to the last sip.

The inner layer of the ECLIPSE is lined with a ceramic coating to honor the traditional practice of brewing in ceramic teapots (while also ensuring that the tea doesn’t get a metallic or plastic taste), and gives you authority over how strong or mild you want your tea to be by letting you control brew-times.

Full Chamber Infusion: The brew chamber takes advantage of the whole capacity for tea leaves to fully unfurl and achieve optional infusion.

Easy Clean: Fully detachable parts. Minimal dead spots. Hydrophobic ceramic coating. Thoughtful details to make every clean-up a breeze.

If you’ve used a french press, using the ECLIPSE should come quite naturally to you. The long, cylindrical design of the ECLIPSE is naturally reminiscent of the french press, with a plunger that lets you push the leaves down to strain the tea. The contraption comes with a cap that doubles as a drinking cup, and a measuring vessel underneath. Pop both off and you’ve got the ECLIPSE’s brewing chamber, with the plunger that lets you push the tea leaves to the bottom of the vessel once you’re ready to pour yourself a drink.

The ECLIPSE is built with double-wall insulation, allowing you to pour hot water into the brewing chamber, while the outside remains cool to the touch, and has a matte-finish exterior that’s easy to grip while being anti-scratch too. Once you’re done drinking tea, the ECLIPSE can simply be cleaned out by unscrewing its base so you can easily fish out the tea leaves. The inner ceramic coating is hydrophobic and can easily be rinsed under running water… while the entire ECLIPSE is designed to be resistant to damage and breaking, giving you the unique ability to be able to travel anywhere with your tea-brewing apparatus! Try doing that with a porcelain teapot and teacups!

Click Here to Buy Now: $98.10 $109 (10% off with Coupon Code ‘YANKO10’). Hurry, deal ends March 9th.

The post This ‘French Press for Tea’ gives you the perfect brew in a portable travel flask first appeared on Yanko Design.

This designer is using Kickstarter to revive 400-year-old traditional Japanese crafts!

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When Tomoya Nasuda launched his first project, the Haori Cup, he wanted to showcase the centuries-old Japanese craft art of Hakata Magemono (Japanese ceder wood bending) on the world stage… now he’s trying to revive the once-flourishing-now-declining craft art by using the power of crowdfunding to give the artisans the spotlight and business they need!

The art of Magemono has been around and flourishing for as long as 400 years, but with the commercialization and modernization (and even westernization) across the world in the past half-century, the heritage artisans began seeing a gradual-yet-unavoidable decline in appreciation for their craftsmanship and eventually, their trade. When Tomoya Nasuda designed the Haori Cup for Kickstarter in 2015, he was taken aback by the absolute shortage of Magemono craftsmen. The Haori Cup received overwhelming support on the crowdfunding platform, but it took Nasuda over 15 months to deliver his last order. Determined to revive the dying craft art, Nasuda first sought to upgrade the craftsmanship process and tools that hadn’t seen any change in centuries. Streamlining the process helped artisans produce more products in less time, while maintaining their quality and authenticity. With this new setup, Nasuda decided to continue the Haori cup line, with the Magemono tumbler and the Magemono bread tray, two classic everyday products that add a touch of Japanese minimalism, craftsmanship, and perfection to homes and lives.

A bigger version of the Haori cup, the Magemono tumbler was one of the most requested products from Nasuda’s backers. The Magemono tumbler comes made with a Hasamiyaki porcelain inner vessel, and a Magemono Japanese ceder wood sleeve around the outside, in signature fashion. The Hasamiyaki porcelain cup is another traditional craft indigenous to Japan. With a slight translucency that’s comparable to Bone China, the tumbler has an elegant grace to it, and comes in a pristine, milky white color; finally paired with the cedar sleeve around it, feeling quite like an elegant reinvention of the to-go coffee cup. Paired with it is the Magemono Bread Tray, a fir tree crafted thin tray (available in two sizes) that’s perfect for meals, especially for the breakfast sandwich, paired with a nicely brewed cup of coffee, in the Magemono tumbler! The main material used for Hakata Magemono are coniferous trees such as cedar, cypress, and fir trees. These coniferous trees have the ability to control humidity, making them ideal for Japanese Bento Box construction because of their ability to allow items like rice to stay fresh and retain its moisture for longer. Nasuda says that the material used in Magemono is truly revolutionary, and unrivaled. Originally designed for bread and toast, rather than rice, Nasuda claims the Magemono Bread Tray can actually even toast crisp for longer!

Nasuda’s aim is to showcase the untouched perfection of Japanese artisanship, while helping the families of craftsmen to sustain themselves and also pass the art down to younger generations, helping it thrive. Building on the runaway success of the Haori cup, and the new-and-improved tools and techniques used for production, Nasuda hopes to successfully give Japanese traditional handicrafts the attention and appraisal it deserves, along with the ability for anyone, across the world, to own truly authentic Japanese traditional tableware with over 4 centuries of rich history!

Designer: Tomoya Nasuda

Click Here to Buy Now: $36. Hurry, less than 72 hours left!

Magemono Tumbler & Bread Tray

Magemono tumbler comes made with a Hasamiyaki porcelain inner vessel, and a Magemono Japanese ceder wood sleeve around the outside, in signature fashion. The Magemono Bread Tray, a fir tree crafted thin tray (available in two sizes) is perfect for meals, especially for the breakfast sandwich, paired with a nicely brewed cup of coffee.

About the Magemono

“Magemono” is a woodwork technique that has been in use in Japan since ancient times. It is also a generic name for containers made using thin sheets of wood such as Japanese cedar, cypress, and fir, which are bent and fastened into circular and polygonal forms.

Magemono containers exist in both our ordinary daily lives and as sacred items specially crafted for use in a ritual or festival setting.

In the Edo period, the Magemono technique mostly used to craft bento boxes, rice containers, trays, cake boxes, flower stands, and tea ceremony items. In the present, it is mainly a technique of crafting bento boxes which has been preserved.

The Magemono Tumbler

Following the footsteps of Haori Cup, Nasuda has once again united two traditional Japanese crafts together, “Hasami yaki” from Nagasaki and “Hakata Magemono” from Fukuoka, to introduce you to the new tumbler that is double the size of the Haori Cup. There are two versions of this tumbler.

Magemono Tumbler

A tumbler specially designed for daily use drinking of coffee, juice, water, tea etc.

Magemono Tumbler for beer

The second variant is designed for beer and are fired without the inner side of the cup being glazed, so it has a very small uneven surface finish. As a result, the cup has a matte finish on the inside, which is the key point.

Left: Standard (With glaze). Right: Beer Tumbler (No glaze)

These very small uneven surface on the inside helps deliver quality beer foam when you pour your beer in. Feels just as if it was poured right out of an industrial beer tap.

Now you can enjoy the taste of beer at a bar right at home. This is something you will not be able to experience with a regular glass of cup with smooth surface.

Hasamiyaki porcelain is made so lightly that the color of the drink is transmitted a little.

The Wooden Tray

Tomoya decided to design a bread tray that makes full use of the functionality a coniferous solid wood has, which will help keep the bread’s crisp texture for a extended period.

The main material used for Hakata Magemono are coniferous trees such as cedar, cypress, and fir trees. These coniferous trees are composed of tissue in which about 95% of the structure is a pathway for water movement called tracheids. These tissues contain many hollow layers inside, which makes coniferous trees very light and also making heat transfer to each other difficult.

Magemono Bento-box regulates the amount of water in rice and keeps it delicious for a long time.

Coniferous trees, which are porous materials, have a humidity control function that absorbs and exhales moisture in the air. In Japan, for keeping cooked rice in a delicious state for a long time, bento boxes (lunch boxes) and wooden container for cooked rice made with Magemono craftwork were mostly made from coniferous trees.

The corners of the wooden bread tray are bent with traditional techniques called “Hikimage”. It is a technique, in which a craftsperson makes shallow cuts into the wood in intervals, and then heat treat them to bend the wood. It is said that this technique was first introduced with Hakata Magemono.

Size S – Small, for a slice of toast.

Size M – Medium, for two slices of toast.

Left: fir tree / Right: cedar

Materials Used

Hakata Magemono is made from coniferous trees such as cedar, cypress, and fir tree. For the previous Haori Cup as well as the tumbler from this current project, the makers have chosen cedar and for the wooden bread tray, they have chosen fir tree for the material. Both very commonly used for Hakata Magemono crafts.

Mr. Taizo Morita

The Craftsmen

With the retirement of craftsman Mr. Tokugoro Shibata in 2017, Mr. Taizo Morita and Tomoya Nasuda are the two responsible for the main manufacturing. Mr. Morita has been a craftsman working under Mr. Shibata for 20 years between the age of 20 to 40 years old, and he was also the number one disciples out of the many others Mr. Shibata had.

At the age of 40, Mr. Morita completely left from the world of Hakata Magemono but with the news of retirement of his teacher Mr. Shibata, he decided to return to the workshop.

Despite being over 3 years from the last Haori Cup project, the discussion on how to survive in this world with severe shortage of craftsman and workshop still goes on today.

Click Here to Buy Now: $36. Hurry, less than 72 hours left!

Turn any mug into a travel mug

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The PortaVia Universal To-Go Lid does something quite marvelous. It retrofits onto the top of any drinking vessel (mugs, cups, glasses, usually have roughly the same diameter at the lip) and instantly turns it into a travel cup that you can carry around with you without splashing your drink. It covers the mouth of the drinking vessel almost entirely, not only creating a nice seal that prevents spills, but it also helps in retaining your drink’s overall temperature, keeping your beverage hot and piping for longer, and if any of this wasn’t good enough, the PortaVia lid even comes with an integrated sipper that lets you use the cup and lid together like a travel mug with a sipper lid.

The PortaVia Universal To-Go Lid is made from food-grade BPA-free silicone. It can withstand hot temperatures, it’s dishwasher-safe, and most importantly, it grips particularly well, creating a robust seal around the edge of your mug. Designed for most mugs between the 12-20 fluid ounces, the PortaVia sits snugly on top, almost like a Tupperware lid, turning a regular cup into a cup you can walk (or even run) around with, without worrying about your drink going cold, or worse, spilling. It also makes sipping your drink on the go easier, and is a much better alternative to disposable plastic lids. Plus, the fact that the PortaVia sits so wonderfully on ceramic and glass mugs also helps reduce your dependency on plastic or paper cups. The PortaVia, with its silicone construction, can be used and reused multiple times across almost all cups, mugs, and tumblers. It’s dishwasher-safe, food-grade, stain and odor-free, and also a boon for the planet!

Designer: Louis Dombowsky

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What if we grew our fruits to be shaped as containers?

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I remember one snarky image that made its rounds around the internet. It featured peeled oranges stored in plastic containers, with a caption that read “If only nature could find a way to cover these oranges so we didn’t need to waste so much plastic on them”. It seemed like a glorious act of stupidity, that someone at the supermarket would peel fruits, discarding their natural packaging, and then store them in man-made plastic boxes… so Brooklyn-based design studio Crème did the exact opposite.

Crème chose to reverse the process, forming fruits into containers, rather than the opposite (storing fruits in them). Using the easy-to-grow and tough-when-dry gourd, Crème created specialized 3D-printed molds that allowed the gourd to grow in certain shapes. Gourds are fast-growing plants that bear robust fruit each season. Once dried, the gourds’ strong outer skin and fibrous inner flesh becomes watertight, explaining why they’ve been used for centuries as water-storage and drinking vessels.

Crème has devised a method of mass-growing these gourds, forming them into glasses and carafes, using 3D printed molds that limit the growth of the gourd and give it shape (the Japanese do the same with watermelon, making them cubical and therefore easy to pack). Once the gourd dries out, the mold is opened, the fruit is cut, and its insides cleaned. You’re left with the HyO-Cup… a product that’s watertight, and formed with a surprising amount of accuracy. If the molds are designed well, you can achieve any shape, making stylized containers, or even more functional, stackable designs. Once done, instead of going into a landfill, the HyO-Cups go into a composting pit!

Designer: Crème

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