"TOPL was founded in 2018 to prove that a world without single use cups could exist, if people no longer needed to compromise when drinking on-the-go. Our mission has been to create a better, safer alternative to the disposable cup by reimagining traditional lid design."

It started with a spilt coffee ...

and another ruined laptop. It got us thinking, could there be a closed-lid solution to protect from spills, that would not diminish the sensory pleasure of sipping coffee.

 Our research...

was initially inspired by the explosive effects of hot liquid and whether it was possible to capture the energy of a spill. We studied seatbelts and airbags and the way in which they activate on impact to protect passengers. This was the catalyst for our responsive bi-stable valve. Simple science but this hasn’t been a simple process. Designing an anti-spill feature capable of performing with boiling liquids, with a mechanism compact enough to fit inside the lid, has been the hardest thing to overcome. We have worked with an experienced team of industrial engineers to design and test materials that can perform with very fine tolerances. It has taken years of hard work and dedication to get it right.

When exploring the sensory experience of coffee drinking, we realised that taste was being stifled by disposable cup lids. These lids do not allow you to smell or sip your coffee (taste + aroma = flavour). We looked at the evolution of lid design and learnt that the first slot-hole lid was designed in the 60s, signalling the start of on-the-go drinking. Cafe culture evolved with the times but the coffee cup lid did not, meaning that we have been sucking our specialty coffee through poorly designed lids for decades.

Functionality vs aesthetics

The humble takeaway coffee cup has become the status symbol of our generation, so we knew that we had to mirror this aesthetic. We wanted to design a beautiful product that people could carry proudly, that also performed on a practical level and answered consumer needs. With TOPLCUP, quality has been our main concern and we have refused to make any compromises. We want people to trust our products to solve the problems they are currently facing when drinking on the move, in a practical and straightforward way.

TOPL products are characterised by a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and a level of technical innovation that surprises and delights consumers.

By reimagining traditional design, our aim is to disrupt the utilitarian drink-ware market.