Olivia Tulkoff and Priya Mittal are confronting the unsustainable red solo cup. The dynamite co-founders launched Fette this past June, introducing college students to a 100% recyclable alternative to the infamous precedent. The traditional party cup, made up of no.6 styrofoam plastic, is turned away at most recycling facilities. Fette, a refreshing, cool, and meaningful brand, struck a chord with Brown students over the summer, exhibiting the ability to ‘do good while being bad’, as they preach. The cup, nevertheless, is not the be all and end all for the Fette team.
In a zoom interview (fitting with the times), Olivia and Priya candidly express their passion to drive community through their sustainable initiative. “A large part of what we’re working on is creating a community of college students by college students”, Priya underscores. “To us that means uniting people over a shared love of having a good time. We really do stress inclusivity all along our business, and that means having a good time if you like drinking or you don’t like drinking — whatever it is”. “It is all about having a good time with our brand,” Olivia adds. “We want to facilitate that as much as we can with our consumers and our community, even if you’re using them over Zoom it means having that community feeling.”
Fette, a lifestyle, spreads this positivity regularly through their Instagram. The interactive polls are just one of many entertaining features, alongside glorious edits of celebrities like Fetty Wap, John Cena, and even Michelle Obama (Priya’s biggest inspiration) playing their part in sustainable partying. Their Instagram is more than a haven for memes and polls, however, frequently identifying other toxic parts of party culture like sexual assault on campus. Zara Lei Norman, Head of Marketing, highlights the importance of “promoting meaningful change in the alcohol industry” and “making this a safe space for people to have fun no matter who they are”. Fette’s cup product directly addresses assault. “The transparent cup mitigates rape culture on campuses”, Zara stresses.
Gradual impact is imperative to Fette’s business. Priya acknowledges this, noting “yes, we’re a cup company. That feels not necessarily like we’re changing the world (or) fixing the planet but something we both really believe in is that the smallest change is good change.” On this wave, Priya advises other entrepreneurs not to “hold back from starting a venture because it’s not fixing systemic issues right away. While (the cups) might be a really small step we realise that it is contributing to something larger. That whole belief system is something we are trying to put into the entrepreneurial environment at Brown and other campuses.”
Brown’s entrepreneurial support is next to none, Olivia emphasises. “It doesn’t matter that we’re female entrepreneurs, it matters that we’re good entrepreneurs. It matters that we’re hustling, doing our best and working everyday and every minute.” She takes inspiration from the strong women around her, especially her older sister. “It’s because of her that I’ve approached the business in the way that I do. Nothing is a closed door until I close it. You’re representing something much bigger when you are a Jew, or a queer, or a person of color. I look at my sister and everything she’s done and it inspires me to work harder.”
This motivation and the success of their first launch (they quickly sold out of their Brown inventory) prove Fette’s future to be an exciting one. With an upcoming partnership with Snackpass and various Rhode Island based beverage companies, you’ll be hearing more about Fette and the great impact their forward-thinking cups can accomplish in the coming months.
For more info on Fette, visit their instagram @ourfette and place an order on their website ourfette.com !