787 Coffee, a trendy New York coffee shop, has brewed up a buzz by replacing cups with viral plastic pouches some say look like medical bags.
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The bean bags first exploded on TikTok, racking up hundreds of thousands of views last fall. Unsurprisingly, this social media caffeine hit has sent pouch sales brewing.
While some commenters praised the bags, others criticized their general look, with some even comparing them to “colostomy bags.”
Regardless, 32-year-old Simon Gondola, the manager of the 787 Coffee shop on West 46th Street, credits the social media post with New Yorkers slurping up the pouches.
“It went viral viral,” Gondola recently told The New York Post. “TikTok is where everything is seen by the public. We’re like the only coffee that comes in bags.”
Of course, this means people of note coming in to check out the unique beverage containers. 787 Coffee Instagram boasts the likes of celebs like Kylie Jenner gleefully slurping up the good stuff.
At 787, all beverages except cappuccinos and flat whites are available in plastic bags, priced between $6 and $12. Co-founder Brandon Peña emphasized that these containers support the café’s mission to benefit the community and environment.
The New York Coffee Shop Claims Bags Are Better For the Environment and Easier on Staff
A sustainable single-use plastic bag may appear contradictory. However, these coffee sacks break down more quickly than traditional plastic, thereby reducing their environmental impact, Peña insisted to Gothamist.
“They are reusable, which allows customers to repurpose in creative ways,” Peña added.
Meanwhile, the staff also approves of the bags.
“I prefer the bags over cups,” Vick Garces, who works at a Brooklyn location told Gothamist. “It’s easier to carry.”
The coffee shop chain has 27 locations in Texas, Puerto Rico (where it mainly sources its beans), and New York City, where it opened its first store in 2019.
787 (named for Puerto Rico’s area code) offers a unique “farm to cup” experience with a focus on sustainability and Caribbean-inspired flavors, such as dulce de leche and rum-infused cold brew, attracting a loyal customer base.