Earth Cups Started in a College Dorm. Now It’s in Madison Square Garden.

Five years ago, Peter Frelinghuysen and Misha Vitels were just two college students at Williams College, throwing around business ideas between a full-time course load. Today, their company, Earth Brands, supplies sustainable cups and food-service products to businesses across the country, including some of the most recognizable venues in America.

The idea that would eventually become Earth Cups started with a simple observation.

Like most college students, Peter and Misha watched thousands of red plastic cups get used and thrown away. The more they researched, the more surprised they became. Billions of disposable plastic cups are used every year, yet many of them are never recycled and instead end up in landfills. Rather than accepting that reality, they saw an opportunity to build something better. 

“We were two college buddies betting on ourselves,” Peter says.

At first, the mission was to create a plant-based, eco-friendly alternative to the traditional party cup and get it into the hands of college students. The challenge was that neither founder had any real experience building a business. There was no roadmap. No industry connections. No guarantee anyone would care. What they did have was persistence.

The early days consisted of dorm room brainstorming sessions, countless emails, social media outreach, and convincing friends at other universities to try the product. They focused heavily on branding, believing sustainability did not have to feel boring or corporate. If they wanted students to embrace a better product, they needed to make sustainability feel approachable, exciting, and community-driven. Slowly, people started paying attention. 

As the company gained traction, breweries, bars, coffee shops, and other businesses began reaching out. Many were struggling with supply chain disruptions during and after COVID-19. Others wanted more sustainable alternatives but lacked reliable suppliers. Peter and Misha listened closely, learning the industry's pain points directly from customers. What began as a college-focused cup company evolved into a broader food-service business.

Today, Earth Brands offers much more than cups. The company supplies lids, straws, napkins, bags, and other sustainable products while helping businesses transition toward more environmentally responsible solutions.

Along the way, milestones that once felt impossible came to pass.

The founders still remember seeing Earth Cups in students' hands on campus. They remember receiving their first inventory shipments. They remember walking into their 50,000-square-foot Kansas facility, known internally as “EarthBase.” And they remember seeing customers drinking from Earth Cups inside venues like Madison Square Garden and Lifetime locations across the country.

For Peter and Misha, those moments are proof of what can happen when two friends stay committed to a vision long after the excitement of the idea wears off.

Earth Cups may have started as a replacement for the red plastic cup, but it has grown into a company proving that sustainability and relentless execution can coexist. And for its founders, it still feels like they're only getting started.