Our Kinds
We're shifting consumption culture through design.
Business Profile
SERVICE TYPE: Cups, with a technology based use-tracking system
MATERIAL TYPE: Various, the Our Kinds system can work with any cup, any material. (As well as any other reusable item).
BUSINESS MODEL: A business-to-business, subscription-based system (cafes pay to be involved in the system, customers do not)
WHERE IT WORKS: On-site, take-out
COUNTRY: Australia
SERVICE AREA: Perth & Sydney
RETURN RATE: Our Kinds has only very recently begun to measure the use of cups using their technologically based system, so a strictly accurate answer to this question is not yet available. However at the flagship cafe for this system 'The Corner Store', they estimate a return rate well over 80%, with there now being no need to replenish the number of cups.
WARE WASHING: Most cafes wash the cups themselves in house. However, Our Kinds is trialing a shared washing system in which central washing stations wash cups for surrounding cafes and return them when washed.
USER INFO:
Our kinds currently uses a QR code based system to track when and where a reusable cup is used. There is no app, website or anything else needed for a user to access the system. Simply choosing an Our Kinds cup onsite in a cafe or other is the only thing a user needs to do to access the system. Users are asked to bring cups back to any Our Kinds cafe; separate collection points are being considered.
Any size cup can be used in this system. Our Kinds currently splits most of the cups into 8oz, 12oz and 16oz categories for tracking purposes.
Cafes are currently the primary users. However councils, corporations and governmental departments have also been involved through cafe subscription support and corporate subscriptions.
Payments are based on a weekly subscription - this currently sits at $60 per week for cafes. However this is a young company and it is likely this price will change in the future (to consider the size of cafes etc).
