Quick answer: The paper cup was invented in the early 1900s as a public-health fix. Lawrence Luellen developed an individual paper drinking cup around 1907–1908, as states began banning shared drinking dippers. His company's cup became the Health Kup, then the Dixie Cup in 1919. Hot-drink cups, snap-on lids and sleeves followed over the century, creating today's to-go coffee cup.
Key takeaways
- The paper cup began as a public-health invention, not a convenience product.
- Kansas abolished the common drinking cup in 1909; others followed.
- The Health Kup became the Dixie Cup in 1919.
- Lids, sleeves and recycling have kept reshaping the cup ever since.
Before the paper cup: the shared dipper
At the turn of the 20th century, public drinking water often came with a shared tin cup or dipper chained to the fountain, the school water bucket or the train car. Everyone drank from it. As germ theory spread, public-health advocates began to see those cups as a problem.
In 1908, Lafayette College biology professor Alvin Davison published a study of school drinking cups under the blunt title "Death in School Drinking Cups." The next year, Kansas passed the first state law abolishing the common drinking cup, championed by Dr. Samuel Crumbine, and other states soon followed.
Lawrence Luellen and the Health Kup
Lawrence Luellen became interested in an individual drinking cup in 1907 and, by 1908, had developed paper cups and a water-vending machine to dispense them, according to Lafayette College's Dixie Cup collection. Engineer Eugene H. Taylor designed machinery to make the cups. Businessman Hugh Moore joined the effort and became a key leader, promoting the cause through a pamphlet called The Cup Campaigner.
Railroads were among the first big customers, since they needed a sanitary way to serve water to passengers. By 1912, the product was being sold as the Health Kup.
The Dixie Cup
In 1919, the Health Kup was renamed the Dixie Cup, after a line of dolls made by the Dixie Doll Company in New York. The name stuck so well that "Dixie cup" became a generic term for small paper cups for generations.
From cold water to hot coffee
Early paper cups were designed for cold water. Serving hot coffee in paper required stronger boards and linings that could handle heat and moisture without softening or leaking. Over the 20th century, wax coatings gave way to plastic linings, and the hot paper cup became a fixture of offices, diners and, eventually, the coffee-to-go culture that took off in the late 20th century.
The lid changes everything
A hot cup you can carry needs a lid you can drink through. Design writers trace a series of milestones: a first pull-tab lid in 1967, a tab that folded back and locked in 1975, and a 1984 anti-splash design with room for the nose. The Solo Traveler lid, designed by Jack Clements in 1986, is now in the Museum of Modern Art's collection, a sign of how much a humble lid shaped daily life.
Sleeves, ripples and branding
As to-go coffee grew, so did solutions for hot hands: cardboard sleeves, double-wall cups and ripple wraps. The cup also became one of the most visible pieces of branding a café owns, carried down the street, into offices and onto social media. Today, custom printed cups and branded sleeves are among the most effective local marketing tools a coffee shop has.
The next chapter: recovery and recycling
The modern challenge is what happens after the last sip. Recycling access for paper cups has grown from about 5% of the U.S. population in 2017 to 20% in 2026, according to the Foodservice Packaging Institute, and new linings and materials keep evolving. Our compostable vs. recyclable guide covers where things stand.
A century later
The paper cup began as a way to keep people healthy when they shared water. A century later, it carries your coffee, your brand and your story. Affogato Bean prints that next chapter: branded cups, lids and sleeves with design help included. See cups.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the paper cup?
Lawrence Luellen developed an individual paper drinking cup around 1907–1908, motivated by public-health concerns about shared drinking vessels. His company's cup became the Health Kup and was renamed the Dixie Cup in 1919.
Why was the paper cup invented?
To replace shared public drinking cups and dippers, which public-health advocates linked to the spread of disease. Kansas passed the first state law abolishing the common drinking cup in 1909, and other states followed.
When did the to-go coffee lid appear?
Snap-on lids evolved through the late 20th century. Design historians point to milestones such as an early pull-tab lid in 1967 and the Solo Traveler lid, designed by Jack Clements in 1986, which is now in the Museum of Modern Art's collection.
Sources
- Lafayette College Libraries, “Dixie Cup Company History.”
- The Museum of Modern Art, “Jack Clements, Solo Traveler Coffee Cup Lid.”
- Core77, “How Lid Design Changes in 1967, '75 and '84 Led Us to Drink Coffee On the Go.”
- Waste Dive, “Paper Cup Recycling Access Reaches 20% of U.S. Population.”
Sources checked October 2026. Statistics are reported as published by each source.