Pedro and Rachael – a couple of kids with ideas, ideals and cups – are the brains behind SAVRcup, the eco-friendly solution to serving drinks at any and all events. We sat down with the founders to learn more about the brand, the lifestyle and operation behind their San Diego-based reusable cup business. They talk ditching disposable plastic cups, protecting the environment and their vision for a greener future.
tell us a little bit about each of you.
Pedro
I’ve personally always known I was going to start some kind of business. I’ve had a loooot of ideas – some good, some bad, some dumb and most influenced by THC! I’ve always been passionate about nature and music festivals so SAVRcup came to me in a very organic way. SAVRcup also fulfills an old wish of mine which is not only to work but to actually help the environment in a very palpable and visible way.
Rachael
I’ve always wanted to do something creative but I didn’t know exactly where or how I wanted to apply my drive and ambition. When Pedro came up with the idea to start the company, I had an outlet to channel my energy into a good cause I believe in. I get so mad when I see plastic floating in the ocean and as a surfer, I’m exposed to it constantly. Ocean pollution is a very serious issue, and if SAVRcup can help reduce this in even a small way, we’d be happy we’ve done our part.
how [and why] did savrcup come to be?
After attending several festivals and seeing the waste and trash caused by festival-goers, including ourselves, we decided to take action to have more eco-friendly events! A close friend works with a similar reusable plastic cup business in Brazil and he encouraged us to start our own.
why do you think there is a need for savrcup?
In general, we believe people do understand the need for a change but may not know where to begin. Most of us want to consume less, reuse and recycle more… We have these green ideals but may struggle to implement them. SAVRcup can help both businesses and consumers commit to helping the environment and reducing their carbon footprint in a small but powerful way.
talk to us about the creation process.
We start with FDA-approved 100% recycled plastic that is then molded to create the perfect, reusable, fully recycled and bpa free SAVRcup. These cups have lines on the inside so you can see how much to pour (i.e. 12oz, 16oz). To finish the process, we screen print the design onto the cups. We work with talented designers all over the world to help us create unique and custom designs. We’re very proud that our green products are made for all and handcrafted with love in California.
tell us about the creative/artistic aspect of savrcup.
Many of the cups feature surfing and ocean themes because we really care about the ocean and when we go surfing, we usually see plastic floating around. We want to show our commitment to reducing ocean pollution through our designs. We also like SAVRcup designs to convey the California and San Diego lifestyle and mindset.
what kind of lifestyle does savrcup represent?
SAVRcup’s brand aims to remind us to truly enjoy life through an eco-conscious lens. Too many of us aren’t enjoying our lives because we’re constantly working to obtain the next material object or climb the financial ladder. Fortunately Millennials and Gen Z are pushing back on the status quo and demanding to work to live rather than live to work. We are appealing to these generations because they have an awareness of how our consumerism is hurting the environment. SAVRcup’s value is to help preserve nature, and Millennials and Gen Zers relate to and want to help this cause.
where do you see savrcup being used?
Festivals, concerts, sports games, schools, bars, hospitals, weddings… all and any kind of event. We can also see ourselves in work spaces such as company offices and co-working spaces. Anywhere there is a disposable plastic or boring plastic cup in use, we can replace it with a SAVRcup!
what are some of the challenges you’ve faced while building savrcup?
We quickly learned that our commitment to only using recycled plastic would be tricky to follow through because it’s difficult to find 100% recycled plastic that’s approved by the FDA. After hundreds of calls and emails, we found a company producing FDA-approved fully recycled plastic but, of course, at a higher cost. Regardless of cost, we will always use recycled plastic to avoid generating further waste. Also, screen printing on cylindrical surfaces was definitely an obstacle! No one seems to do this in SoCal so we had to buy our own machinery and connect with a local company to work with. It took a while but it was worth it. We love the vendors we work with to create the perfect SAVRcup!
talk to us about the joys + challenges of running a business with your significant other.
Running a business with your loved one sure is a blessing! It’s amazing doing what you love with who you love, no doubt about that! Because right now we do a lot of the operations just the two of us, it can sometimes be hard to delegate tasks because there’s just so much. We do have our positions somewhat set but nothing is set in stone so we try to communicate the best we can.
what are the short-term and long-term goals for savrcup?
We want to focus this whole year on sponsoring events in California and perfecting our process while exposing SAVRcup to event organizer and attendees. We want to show that we can host a greener, cleaner concert, event or party. SAVRcup is here to make sustainability affordable and accessible for everyone. Long term, we obviously would love to work with massive festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. And beyond that, we want to replace disposable cups in offices, hospitals, schools, everywhere!