Hi guys, thanks for the comments, admittedly the information displayed on the boards could have been a little clearer but I failed to take into account for the downsizing so the text is too small to read, especially on the development board which I think answers your questions! Just to clarify for Janne;

1) Does the customer get the soil and seeds as well?

The compressed Coir disc is wrapped in a tissue that is impregnated with a variety of salad seeds (serving as both protection for the disc, but also to store the seed), the promotion is offered to the customer at point of purchase (I.e. by the Barista; perhaps as an optional, or promotional weekend event, or over a sustained period and charging an additional cost of say 20p?) If the customer agrees then the Barista slots the disc into the base of the cup, and adds the specifically designed lid rather than the traditional lid.

2) What if the customer isn't interested in planting?

The theory behind the idea is to encourage urban food production and individual healthcare, two very real issues that I believe can be solved by educating consumers about the origins of food, and the benefits of fresh produce. The problem is that most concepts or ideas that tackle these issues require a change in lifestyle and attitude, which consumers will be resistant towards, especially with the traditional stigma surrounding allotments, gardening, and generally growing your own food. Convenience is a big issue, and it is time that consumers were aware that it is not only simple and cost effective, but much healthier to grow, cook and eat your own fresh produce.

The cup serves as a suitable solution to portray this message; 1) It can use the well-established, existing infrastructure to target an audience that is resistant to change. 2) It requires minimal change to the manufacture and production or the products, with the only design modification being the tooling for the lid stamping process. 3) It gives additional functionality to the takeaway coffee cup, avoiding landfill and promoting reuse. 4) Coffee is associated with social events and chatting amongst friends, why not give them a topic to talk about by posing questions that may provoke conversation, it only serves to elevate the importance of the issues outlined and bring them out into the open?

3) What about those that take two or three coffees every day - where are they to place all their plants?

My first reaction to that was "well they should be using a reusable cup", but then I think we can all agree that in this case, more is better! Salad leaves require minimal sunlight to grow, so they could be placed on pretty much any windowsill or light spot that receives a few hours of sunlight? Think of the transformation it could provoke within the office environment...

Less wastage (and people might think twice about what they can do with supposedly waste objects), more people growing and maximising the use of space they have to do so (that's a good step towards improving urban food production), healthier, more educated consumers.....that's a step in the right direction, no?

I hope that clears up a few questions!

Ensifer, I was unaware of the entry when I submitted mine, but yes, the name is the same, but the concept is different, thanks for pointing that out though.

Janne, your right, but it´s more about getting the message out there than providing a sustainable source of food. Leafy greens like rocket and mixed salad´s would be fine in my opinion!