No More Lids has won the top prize at this year’s Future of Food competition for its innovative solution to tackle the mountain of plastic waste generated by single-use takeaway cups.
Judges commended founder and MD Chris Brown for “game-changing environmental achievements” in an industry that uses more than 10 million takeaway cups and generates in excess of 51 tonnes of waste every day.
In less than two years, No More Lids has delivered more than five million of the patented, 100% compostable cups (removing 24 tonnes of plastic from circulation) to the likes of the Natural History Museum, the Francis Crick Institute, King’s College London and NHS Wales, laying the foundations for an expansion into major high street chains and global brands.
Brown has a background in hospitality, managing venues, operating cafés and consulting for coffee roasteries, witnessing first-hand the amount of plastic waste in the industry.
After discovering the patented technology created by French packaging designer Cyril Drouet, he became the UK and Ireland distributor for The Good Cup and launched No More Lids as a business.
Drouet created The Good Cup after seeing fields of discarded plastic cups and lids at Glastonbury in 2019. The cup uses an aqueous coating, making it recyclable as paper or compostable, and integrates a fold-and-lock lid into the cup itself.
“What began as a personal mission to reduce the environmental footprint of my own coffee business has evolved into something much bigger,” Brown said. “Our goal is to replace every plastic takeaway cup and lid in the UK.”
No More Lids was one of 16 finalists selected from more than 200 entries to this year’s Future of Food and pitched to the 700-plus attendees and industry experts at the event held at Royal Geographic Society in London.
Regenerative farming innovator Wildfarmed, founded by Andy Cato, George Lamb and Edd Lees, took home the silver award. The business was launched to address the environmental costs of conventional farming and put nature restoration at the heart of food production.
KluraLabs was awarded the bronze for its packaging technology that extends shelf life and reduces waste. It launched commercially with M&S last month and is running trials with retailers in Canada and Dubai.
Future of Food competition was set up by Fuel10K co-founder Barney Mauleverer last year to give innovators a platform to showcase the change needed in the food industry. The inaugural competition in 2024 was won by sustainable rice brand Nice Rice.
“The competition is grounded as a backdrop to highlighting and seeking solutions to key issues and opportunities in the future of our food ecosystem,” said Mauleverer, who sold Fuel10K to Premier Foods in 2023.
“I want to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs to create impact for the Future of Food by providing them with a platform from which to shine.”
He added: “No More Lids stood out for its simplicity, scalability and immediate impact. It’s a solution that doesn’t just talk sustainability – it delivers. By removing plastic lids and linings, saving businesses significant money and space and reducing carbon footprint, it tackles a major environmental challenge head-on. With the added benefits of reducing the risk of drink spiking and eliminating spills and drips, it’s a clear winner for the industry.”
No More Lids was awarded a £10,000 grant, plus a commitment by Mauleverer to invest and mentor the business. It also won an £8,500 advertising campaign from The Grocer and an innovation test worth £5,000 from System1.
All the finalists were awarded a year’s subscription to The Grocer and other discretionary prizes given out included £20,000 of NIQ data, workshops with Henry Dimbleby’s Bramble Advisory, a growth support package from Ocado, a spot on the Brand Growth Heroes ‘Mini MBA’, YF bespoke consultancy support, legal workshops from Joelson, an M&A workshop with Piper Sandler, an insight accelerator session with North Star and a wellness retreat at The Shire.
This year’s Future of Food also served as the launch of Mauleverer’s new initiative, The Collaborative, an online platform designed to connect innovators across food and fmcg. To sign up for The Collaborative, visit the website here.
The other Future of Food 2025 finalists were: Bold Bean Co, Better Nature, Grub Club, Farm Urban, Hoxton Farms, Symplicity Foods, Fable Food Co, Change-Box, Kyomei, The Protein Ball Co, Auralytica, Field Doctor and Freddie’s Farm.
Finalists pitched live to a panel of judges made up of:
• Douglas Lamont – CEO, Tony’s Chocolonely
• Vicky Grinnell-Wright – food tech lead, Lloyds Corporate & Institutional
• Ed Devlin – finance editor, The Grocer
• Thea Alexander – CEO, YF
• Nicola Waller – head of buying, Ocado
• Phil Hails-Smith – partner, Joelson Law
• Henry Dimbleby – co-founder of Bramble Partners and chair of judges
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