Again Again

Over 295 million single use cups are thrown away every year in New Zealand. Thanks to a growing number of people looking to address that problem and find an alternative to single-use cups, one of the questions you’ll be asking yourself today is, how many reusable cups and containers does my café need?

To help you answer that question, meet Nada Piatek, MD and co-founder of Again Again, a reusable container borrow system that makes it easy for everyone to choose re-use as their new normal.

“We want to help end single-use waste,” says Nada. “Again Again is an effective and easy way to turn the tide on waste and help your bottom line. It’s takeaway without throwaway coffee.”

New Zealand’s largest container share network, Again Again’s fleet of reusable steel cups is in circulation at over 175 participating cafes. It’s a fast-growing network that started in Auckland and Wellington in 2019, and is now open to all cafes in New Zealand, be it in a large city or small town.

Easy way to eliminate waste

Again Again’s container lending system eliminates single-use waste and protects customers’ desire for convenience. Their reusable cups have been so popular that Again Again will extend their offering later in 2021 to include a hot food bowl, sushi tray and cold food box.

“We have had such an enthusiastic response from cafes and restaurants that we are expanding our range of containers to make it even simpler for cafes to eliminate single-use waste,” says Nada.

With its handy, soon-to-be-released mobile app, customers can easily scan borrowed Again Again containers out and in. Or if customers are not ready to use the app yet, they can still borrow cups with a simple refundable $3 cash deposit.

How does Again Again work for customers?

Customers can either order their coffee/food in an Again Again container with cash or the app (launching late 2021).
If customers use cash, they pay $3 to borrow a cup. When customers return the reusable cup to any participating café in the Again Again network anytime within two weeks, they receive a full refund.
When customers use the app, they create an account and top up so they can borrow the containers from participating cafés. Customers use scan stations in the cafe to check out a container, and then return the containers within two weeks to avoid charges.
Cafes then clean and wash the containers so they are hygienic and ready to be reused by the next customer.
With the nifty new app, customers will be able to easily locate participating cafes, scan their containers in and out, as well as track the environmental impact they are making.

How much does it cost a cafe?

Again Again partner cafes can choose to use Again Again’s PAYG (Pay As You Go) system or sign up to a monthly service plan.

“Often new partners are unsure of the system and how it might work at the counter,” says Nada. She recommends the PAYG plan with Again Again’s classic coffee cups initially to give it a try and find out how easily it works. “Once you are confident that the system will be adopted by your regulars and locals, you can switch to a serviced contract at any time.”

When you need more cups or containers, Again Again will top you up, or, take away any you don’t need. “We take all the risk on any lost cups or containers and bring them to a responsible close at the end-of-usable journey,” says Nada.

If you want more information about reusable cups and containers, talk to Again Again. They will show you how you can save money, estimate how many you will need for your café, and provide you with marketing support material. They can also put you in touch with some nearby cafes to talk to you about how Again Again is implemented, the impact on workflow and how well received it’s been by customers.

Thanks Again Again!