With disposable coffee cups and plastic bottles being the largest contributors to litter in Australia, it isn’t surprising consumers are gravitating towards reusable versions. For homegrown reusable drinks vessel brand Made By Fressko, one material stands out above the rest: stainless steel.

Back in 2014, Sean Atme noticed his mum had to keep replacing her plastic tea infuser. He and his mate Lucas Ciancarelli thought there had to be a better way.

“They started to wonder if they could create something that was both reusable and actually looked good,” says Hayley Culley, Made By Fressko’s Director of Creative and Marketing. “That’s what led to Fressko’s first product – a beautiful double-walled glass flask with a 2-in-1 infuser filter.”

Fast forward to today and not only has consumer sentiment for choosing and using reusable water bottles and coffee cups instead of throwaway plastic-laced ones grown considerably, Fressko has added more products to its range. And rather than glass, many are made from stainless steel.

“I think society has made some massive shifts in the last few years, with people being a lot more aware of what they’re buying, where it ends up and how that impacts the environment,” says Culley. “Our original glass flask products are still incredibly popular, but to create our on-the-go range of flasks and coffee cups, which we called the Colour Collection, eventually we settled on stainless steel as the ideal material.”

As well as being lightweight, stainless steel keeps hot drinks hot and cold ones cold for hours. The grade of stainless steel Fressko chose, known as grade 304, is also resistant to corrosion, inherently hygienic and easy to clean.

“The stainless steel we use is food grade, so it doesn’t affect the taste of your tea, coffee or other drink,” says Culley. “But I think one of the main benefits of stainless steel as a material for a product that’s intended to be taken out of the home and carried around is simply its durability.

“You can throw one of our stainless-steel flasks or coffee cups in your bag or even drop it on the ground by accident and it won’t break. That means our products can be used for years and years, rather than having to be replaced regularly. As a brand that’s focused on sustainability as much as we are on style, that’s crucial to us.”

If the planet could speak, it’s a safe bet it would say the same thing.

Made by Fressko will be exhibiting at Naturally Good 6-7 June 2022, ICC Sydney. To find out more about their products, browse their range here.