Takeaway Products

Getting your takeaway setup right has a direct effect on customer experience, your costs, and how your brand is perceived. The cup someone carries down the street is visible to everyone they pass — it is one of the most low-cost forms of advertising available to a café. This guide covers the key decisions when choosing takeaway products: cup types, lids, accessories, and how to keep costs manageable at different order volumes.

Choosing the Right Takeaway Cup

The most important decision is cup construction. There are three main types:

Single wall cups are the lightest and most budget-friendly option, but they transfer heat quickly to the hand. If you use single wall cups, you will need to provide cup sleeves alongside them — factor that cost in. They are most practical for venues with high volume and tight margins where the cost difference across thousands of cups per week is meaningful.

Double wall cups are the standard for most takeaway coffee operations. The air gap between the inner and outer walls provides enough insulation that customers can hold the cup comfortably without a sleeve, and hot drinks stay warmer for longer in transit. The per-cup cost is higher than single wall but the sleeve cost is eliminated.

Triple wall and ripple cups offer the most insulation and a premium hand feel. Kraft ripple cups in particular have become closely associated with independent coffee shops — the texture and appearance signal quality. If your brand positioning is towards the premium end, triple wall ripple cups reinforce that perception at the moment of purchase.

Cup sizes across the range run from 4oz through to 20oz — 4oz for espresso and short macchiatos, 8oz for flat whites and cortados, 12oz for standard lattes and cappuccinos, and 16–20oz for large filter and iced drinks.

Eco and Compostable Options

If sustainability is part of your venue's identity — or if your customers ask about it — compostable cups are worth considering. Our compostable Ingeo cups are made with a plant-based PLA lining rather than the standard polyethylene film, making them suitable for industrial composting. Paired with compostable Ingeo lids, the entire cup and lid combination can be disposed of as food waste in areas with appropriate collection.

It is worth being clear with customers about this: compostable cups do not break down in standard recycling or general landfill — they require industrial composting conditions. If your local waste collection supports this, it is a genuine environmental benefit. If not, the practical difference is limited and standard double wall paper cups may be the more honest choice.

Lids, Straws, and Stirrers

Lids need to match your cup diameter — our domed sip-through lids are compatible across 10oz to 20oz cup sizes. Compostable lid options are available to pair with Ingeo cups.

For straws, the standard plastic straw ban (in force in England since 2020) means paper and compostable PLA are the compliant options. We stock paper straws in standard and striped formats, compostable PLA spoon straws for milkshakes and thick drinks, and smoothie straws in a larger diameter for blended drinks. Wooden stirrers are available in packs of 1,000 from £3.50 — the most cost-effective stirrer option for most cafés.

Cup Carriers and Accessories

Cup carriers are worth stocking if you regularly serve customers ordering two or more drinks to take away — holding multiple cups in one hand without a carrier risks spills and returns. We offer carriers in multiple configurations. Cup sleeves are also available for venues using single wall cups.

Ordering Formats and Delivery

Disposables can be ordered by the sleeve, box, case, or pallet depending on your volume. Higher-volume formats bring the per-unit cost down significantly — at busy periods it is worth ordering a full case rather than individual sleeves to reduce per-cup cost and the frequency of reordering.

We offer free next working day delivery on orders over £69 to UK mainland addresses, with same-day dispatch on orders placed before 4:30pm. For most independent cafés, a single order covering cups, lids, and accessories comfortably clears the free delivery threshold.

Browse the full takeaway cups and disposables range including all cup sizes, materials, and accessories, or contact us if you need advice on the right setup for your venue's volume and style.