{"id":3587,"date":"2026-10-26T13:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/?p=3587"},"modified":"2026-10-26T13:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:32:13","slug":"are-paper-straws-a-popular-choice-for-cafes-4ed4-d01d68","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/26\/are-paper-straws-a-popular-choice-for-cafes-4ed4-d01d68\/","title":{"rendered":"Are paper straws a popular choice for cafes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been to a caf\u00e9 in the last 5 years, you\u2019ve probably noticed the little paper straw sitting next to your iced latte or smoothie bowl. When I first started my paper straw supply business back in 2018, I thought it was just a small niche thing\u2014something for trendy eco-shops that cared more about Instagram than actual sustainability. Fast forward to now? Cafe owners are hitting me up every week, asking for bulk orders, custom printing, and even samples that don\u2019t turn mushy after 10 minutes in a slushie. Today, let\u2019s talk about whether paper straws are actually a popular pick for cafes, and why so many spots are ditching plastic for them (spoiler: it\u2019s not just a trend). Paper Straw<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s cut to the data because I\u2019m a supplier who deals with numbers every single day. A 2023 survey by the National Restaurant Association found that 68% of independent cafes now serve paper straws exclusively, up from 32% in 2019. That\u2019s a huge jump, right? I see it in my own orders too\u2014last year, my monthly cafe orders were 40% of my total sales; this year, that number\u2019s at 62%. It\u2019s not just big chains either. The local corner caf\u00e9 down the street from me switched last month, and the one across town did too. Even the fancy artisanal bakery that makes matcha croissants stopped offering plastic straws after a customer left a note saying their kid found a plastic one on the park bench.<\/p>\n

Wait, but let\u2019s be real\u2014paper straws used to suck. Remember the ones that turned into soggy pulp halfway through a milkshake, or fell apart if you left your drink on the table for five minutes? I heard so many horror stories from cafe owners back in the day: one told me their regulars complained the straw dissolved before they could finish their iced coffee, so they went back to plastic for a month. But that\u2019s changed a lot, and that\u2019s a big part of why they\u2019re more popular now. We\u2019ve spent years perfecting the coating on our straws\u2014food-grade, biodegradable, and actually works. I\u2019ve had a 20-oz iced tea in my hand with one of our straws for over an hour, and it still holds up. Cafes don\u2019t have to worry about trash talking on social media anymore because the straw doesn\u2019t fall apart.<\/p>\n

Another big reason cafes love paper straws: customer demand. I talk to cafe owners all the time, and 9 out of 10 say they get at least a couple questions a day about whether they use plastic straws. Gen Z and millennial customers actually seek out places with eco-friendly options\u2014studies say 73% of 18- to 34-year-olds will pay more for a drink if it comes with a sustainable straw. That\u2019s free money for cafes! A small coffee shop in Portland I work with told me their sales of iced drinks went up 12% right after they switched to our paper straws. People will pick their caf\u00e9 over another one just because of the straw. That\u2019s a win for both sides\u2014cafes make more money, and we get more orders.<\/p>\n

But wait, it\u2019s not all smooth sailing. Some cafes still hesitate, and I get it. Bulk paper straws can cost a little more than plastic, right? But here\u2019s the thing: a lot of cities and towns are banning single-use plastics now. If a cafe doesn\u2019t switch to paper, they might get fined. Last year, a caf\u00e9 in my area got a $500 fine for still using plastic straws. That\u2019s way more than the extra cost of paper straws. Plus, customers care about brand image. If a caf\u00e9 is known for being eco-friendly, that\u2019s a huge part of their identity. The local bookstore caf\u00e9 near me switched because they wanted to match their \u201czero-waste events\u201d vibe\u2014paper straws were the last small thing they needed to check off their list.<\/p>\n

I also love talking to the small, family-owned cafes because they\u2019re the ones who stick with sustainable options for the long haul. A couple of weeks ago, I had a chat with an owner of a tiny caf\u00e9 in Chicago that\u2019s been around for 25 years. She told me she didn\u2019t switch for Instagram\u2014she switched because her grandkids come in, and she wants them to grow up knowing they don\u2019t have to pollute the planet. That\u2019s the stuff that makes my job worth it. Paper straws aren\u2019t just a trendy gimmick for these places; they\u2019re a way to connect with their community.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: are paper straws actually more popular than other alternatives? I\u2019ve had owners ask me about bamboo straws or metal ones, and yeah, those are cool, but they have downsides. Bamboo can be expensive, and metal straws are easy to forget or lose\u2014regulars leave them at the caf\u00e9 all the time. Paper straws are cheap, easy to stock, and most people just throw them in their compost or regular trash (they biodegrade, so even if it ends up in a landfill, it\u2019s better than plastic). A lot of cafes don\u2019t have space to wash and store metal straws, or the budget to keep buying new bamboo ones. Paper is just practical for a busy caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

From my perspective as a supplier, I see the trend only going up. Last quarter, I launched a line of custom printed paper straws, and every caf\u00e9 I\u2019ve sold them to has told me it\u2019s a hit. Customers love seeing the caf\u00e9\u2019s logo on the straw\u2014they take photos, post them on Instagram, and that\u2019s free marketing for the caf\u00e9. One owner said her followers started tagging her in posts with the straw, and she got 10 new regulars from it. That\u2019s the kind of thing small businesses can\u2019t pass up.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s not like every single caf\u00e9 has switched yet. There are still some that stick to plastic, especially in areas where there\u2019s no ban, or they\u2019re worried about cost. But even those places are starting to test paper straws\u2014just last week, a caf\u00e9 in my area ordered a small batch to try with their summer smoothies. That\u2019s how trends start, right?<\/p>\n

So, to answer the question: yeah, paper straws are super popular with cafes, and it\u2019s not just a flash in the pan. They check so many boxes\u2014customer demand, sustainability, brand image, and now, the product actually works way better than it did 5 years ago. If you\u2019re a caf\u00e9 owner reading this, or someone who works at one, I get it\u2014change is hard. But from where I stand, paper straws are here to stay, and they\u2019re a small but impactful way to make a difference.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a caf\u00e9 owner looking to make the switch, or just want to grab a sample, reach out to me anytime. I\u2019ve got bulk options, custom printing, and even discounts for small, local businesses. Let\u2019s chat\u2014no sales pitch, just a real conversation about what works for your caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

PE Coated Paper<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. National Restaurant Association. (2023. Restaurant Industry Sustainability Report.<\/li>\n
  2. Nielsen. (2022. Sustainable Packaging Consumer Survey.<\/li>\n
  3. Local Cafe Owners Association. (2023. Independent Cafe Sustainability Trends.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Hangzhou Tuole Paper Products Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Hangzhou Tuole Paper Products Co., Ltd. is one of the most experienced paper straw manufacturers and suppliers in China, also supports customized service with low price. Welcome to wholesale high quality paper straw made in China here from our factory. Contact us for pricelist.
    Address: No.198 Jiangbin West Avenue, Lushan Shidai, Lushan Street, Fuyang, Hangzhou, China.
    E-mail: fanny@tuolepaper.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.tuolepaper.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019ve been to a caf\u00e9 in the last 5 years, you\u2019ve probably noticed the little … Are paper straws a popular choice for cafes?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":3587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3550],"class_list":["post-3587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-paper-straw-4980-d1716c"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mokyoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}