One thing I love about what I do is discovering brands that I’ve long loved were founded by women!
So when I found out Keep Cup was founded by Abigail Forsyth, I knew I had to pick her brain for just 5 minutes on how she started one of the most recognizable brands today....
Where did your passion for protecting the environment and sustainability come from?
I just really hate waste and rubbish. Future generations will have to make really difficult choices so it’s only fair to start with the single use items, (cups, bags, bottles, containers) renewable power and public transport.
What sparked the idea for Keep Cup? How did you get the business up and running?
My brother Jamie and I ran a chain of healthy cafes called Bluebag in Melbourne, and we just saw the rise and rise of disposable cups. We looked around to buy a reusable alternative but we couldn’t find one that would fit under the group head of the coffee machine and that had the same internal raise to close the coffee correctly. So we decided to make our own.
Since selling the first Keep Cup in 2009, the business has evolved internationally and now has offices in Melbourne, London and Los Angeles.
What’s your favourite drink to have out of your keep cup?
We’re all about the cold drinks in our LongPlay cups at the moment. It’s lovely in the heat of summer to have a fruit smoothie in the morning.
Which business women inspire you most?
The ones that are being true to themselves and trying to effect positive value based change. They are everywhere, I need look no further that around my office.
What advice do you have for women wanting to start up their own business? Just go for it!
It is estimated that in the space of a year, Keep Cup users will have diverted 3.5 billion disposable cups from landfill.
This equates to removing over 4000 tonnes of disposable cups from landfill and saving enough energy to power 5000 homes for a year.
This leaves 50,000 trees left standing in forests around the world.
If you want to be a part of this amazing movement, head to the stockists page to get yours!
Special thanks to Harvey Publicity for facilitating this interview.
