she’s on the up There are three words that are important to Melbourne mama Felicity Ford. Sustainable, ethical and local. So it comes as no surprise that she is the founder of Uppercup, a certified B-Corporation and Melbourne-made reusable coffee cup business with EVERY supplier to the business located within 25km of their Eastside head office…
Tell us a bit about how and why you started Uppercup? I have been passionate about the environment and sustainability since I can remember. Before Uppercup, I co-founded numerous not-forprofits but realised what I wanted to do was focus on sustainable products. My family create reusable industrial plastics, so I have always been around Australian manufacturing, so Uppercup was a great fit as it is an Australian manufactured product.
How does Uppercup work to eradicate single use coffee cups from circulation and landfill? We strive to be as sustainable as possible so on top of fantastic reusable coffee cups we also offer the Uppercup+ which is made from recycled end of life Uppercups! We also offer spare parts to extend our product life. Our Swap & Go Cup program is aimed at the corporate market where we work with head offices who allow every single staff member to borrow a made-to-order Uppercup and return it. You can brand and match them to the company plus you can fit a non-reusable lid on the cup, which is the part of the non-reusable coffee cup that can be recycled. You are removing the barrier to entry of not having to remember a cup, as you can always get one and take back your reusable cups at another time. Remembering a cup is often something people struggle with when going out for a coffee.
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Supporting Australian jobs and manufacturing seems to be a key component to the business structure of Uppercup and you ensure that all your suppliers work within a 25km radius of your head office. What suppliers does this include? Printing, packaging, raw material, employees, warehousing, distribution and manufacturing. We are lucky enough to work within a metro Victorian business hub, where most of our supporting suppliers have been around for over 35 years. We find small choices around using local suppliers makes a big difference to our local community.
Tell us more about the female leaders of Uppercup who are pioneering such responsible and ethical business procedures that make Uppercup more than just a business. We are passionate young women who are striving to make a difference not just within the sustainability goods sector but also within manufacturing in Australia. We want to be a part of the revolution of reusable product systems being implemented and made locally in Australia over the next 10-20 years. We see a fantastic opportunity for responsible and ethical business to be located in Australia.
You’ve recently become a mum to a gorgeous daughter. Tell us a bit about your little family. Our family live in inner-city Melbourne, and we have an 18-month-old daughter, who is hilarious. On the weekend we love hanging out with family and friends, and you can probably find us at the local café, museum or playground.
