A Cups Full coffee bag brews directly in hot or cold water without requiring a machine, filter or cafetière.

A Better Brew for Life on the Move

Katherine Willis founded Cups Full to offer portable specialty coffee bags that brew hot or cold, provide caffeine choices and reduce equipment, queues, mess and waste for modern coffee drinkers.

K atherine Willis wants to change where, when and how people enjoy speciality coffee. Through Cups Full, the brand she founded after discovering portable pour-over coffee in Japan, she is making freshly ground coffee easier to brew at work, while travelling or in the middle of an adventure.

Cups Full places speciality-grade coffee inside individual compostable bags that brew directly in hot or cold water. No machine, filter or cafetière is required. Its Peace, Pace and Power collection also provides different caffeine levels, allowing customers to select a coffee according to the moment.

The idea appears simple, but it addresses several familiar frustrations. Café coffee can be expensive, queues take time and conventional brewing equipment creates preparation, washing up and mess. Instant coffee is convenient, yet it may not provide the flavour or experience sought by speciality-coffee drinkers.

Willis saw an opportunity between those worlds.

Discovering a Better Format

Individual pour-over coffee bags captured Willis’s attention during a visit to Japan. She appreciated their portability and the quality of the coffee, but felt the format could be improved.

The paper wings had to be balanced over a cup, which could become awkward when mugs varied in size. Water also needed to be poured gradually through the grounds. The method worked for hot coffee but did not provide a straightforward way to prepare cold brew.

Willis began considering a sealed bag that could remain inside the water while the coffee brewed. Such a format could be used in almost any cup or flask and would allow drinkers to prepare either a hot coffee or a cold brew without specialist equipment.

The experience prompted three central questions. Could a coffee bag be easier to use? Could it contain speciality-grade coffee? Could its caffeine level be measured and clearly communicated?

Cups Full was created to answer all three.

*Cups Full’s Power, Pace and Peace coffee bags offer three caffeine levels for different moments, moods and energy needs.*

Lessons from Behind the Coffee Bar

Willis’s experience as a barista strengthened her belief that coffee preparation could be simplified.

She remembers seeing people queue for black coffee while baristas worked through a process involving equipment, labour, cleaning and waste. She encountered similar frustrations as a customer at festivals and while travelling, where finding a dependable cup could mean waiting in line or accepting an expensive and inconsistent drink.

The inconvenience was particularly noticeable when spending time with a group. Stopping everyone’s plans for a café queue could feel disproportionate to the simple desire for a good coffee.

Cups Full allows customers to carry individual servings with them. Wherever water and a suitable cup are available, they can prepare a freshly brewed coffee without carrying loose grounds or bulky equipment.

This thinking inspired one of the brand’s defining messages — its coffee is “made for bags, not just cupboards”.

The full Peace, Pace and Power range can be explored through the Cups Full shop.

Coffee for Every Energy Level

Coffee drinkers frequently know the strength or size of their preferred order, but not necessarily its caffeine content. Willis wanted Cups Full to offer greater clarity.

Peace, Pace and Power represent different levels of caffeine and different moments in a person’s day. Peace offers a lighter option, Pace provides a more moderate lift and Power is intended for times when stronger energy is required.

For Willis, this choice makes the coffee easier to personalise and share. Friends or colleagues can enjoy the same convenient format while selecting a blend appropriate for their individual preferences.

“Coffee remains mysterious,” she says. “I thought that needed to change — give the consumer a choice.”

Reaching the final range involved extensive development. Coffee quality, roast, grind, extraction, caffeine and polyphenol content all had to work together. Willis collaborated with a roasting partner and laboratory specialists, refining the blends through several iterations.

Flavour remained essential throughout the process. Power, for example, brings together coffee from Brazil, India, Ethiopia and Vietnam, producing notes of cashew, caramel, milk chocolate, roasted peanut, dried cherry, earthy spice and cedar.

It is a profile designed to challenge the assumption that convenience must result in a less interesting cup.

Hot Coffee or Cold Brew

The immersion format means Cups Full bags can be used with both hot and cold water.

Cold brew traditionally requires forward planning, equipment and a method for separating the grounds from the finished drink. Brewing a hot coffee and adding ice can be quicker, but it may produce a diluted result.

A coffee bag can instead be placed directly into cold water and left to develop. The process creates a smooth drink without loose grounds, filtering or specialist brewing equipment.

Willis believes this will appeal particularly to younger consumers and people who enjoy chilled coffee. It also creates possibilities for travel, camping and festivals, where access to equipment may be limited.

The only essentials are a coffee bag, water and something to drink from.

Sustainability Without the Complication

Environmental responsibility was a non-negotiable part of developing Cups Full.

Willis had seen how coffee capsules could enter general waste when separating and recycling their different components became inconvenient. She was also aware of the coffee discarded by offices, hotels and hospitality teams after preparing more than their guests consumed.

Individual bags enable coffee to be made according to demand. After brewing, the bag can be composted, while the company describes its outer pouches as reusable or recyclable.

This was especially important because Cups Full speaks directly to people who enjoy travelling and spending time outdoors.

“The outdoor element would be a contradiction if the products were not sustainable,” Willis says. “Litter and landfill are not on brand.”

The company also places importance on the origins of its coffee and the journey it takes from grower to cup. Willis wants the business to support responsible farming and maintain a connection with positive practices across its supply chain.

Further information about the brand’s principles is available on the Cups Full purpose page.

Creating Full Cup Moments

Convenience may be central to the product, but Willis does not want people to rush through the experience of drinking it.

Cups Full encourages customers to create what the brand calls a “Full Cup Moment”. This could be a pause before a meeting, a quiet coffee with family, a drink enjoyed at a festival or a moment of reflection after completing a demanding journey.

“A full cup moment is personal to the consumer,” Willis says. “It’s a moment where you’re present and enjoying the moment with a perfect coffee in your hand.”

The philosophy removes unnecessary preparation while preserving a sense of ritual. Instead of focusing on equipment, customers can give their attention to their surroundings and the people sharing the experience.

“Life is about a journey, not just the destination,” she adds.

That outlook has also shaped the Cups Full creator community. Its affiliate programme encourages people to document their journeys, share authentic experiences and introduce the product to new audiences.

Aspiring contributors can find more information through the Cups Full creator programme.

From Childhood Entrepreneur to Coffee Founder

Willis’s entrepreneurial instincts emerged early. At seven, she was already experimenting with small ventures involving sweets and flowers. Events, music projects and other business ideas followed.

Her later career across marketing, sales and growth included work with agencies, start-ups and expanding businesses. That combination of commercial strategy, creativity and first-hand customer insight provided the foundation for building Cups Full.

The brand has since reached customers through ecommerce and a growing selection of retailers. Its stockists have included Selfridges, Holland & Barrett, independent shops, farm shops and delicatessens. Products from the range have also received recognition at the Great British Food Awards.

Willis now wants Cups Full to become an internationally recognised name. Her vision is for customers to encounter the brand throughout a journey — ordering it at home, collecting it from a shop, discovering it during transport or finding it at their destination.

Potential partnerships with travel, adventure and lifestyle businesses could extend that reach. At the same time, a growing network of creators could help build a community centred on courage, energy, freedom and fulfilment.

Cups Full is ultimately designed for people with somewhere to go and something they want to accomplish. By placing speciality coffee in a format that can travel, Willis hopes customers will spend less time queueing, cleaning and compromising — and more time filling their cups in every sense.