The Unusual Cups

To create a double-walled porcelain mug, Pernille Vea had to develop a whole new way of producing porcelain.

The first thermo cups were launched in the 50's. But they were made one-of-a-kind , the production method was very time-consuming. So for many years thermo cups were only for elegant little ladies sipping mocha. It wasn't until MENU launched the Black Contour mug that the thermo cups became accessible to a much larger group of people.

"In 2002 when I began working on the first thermo mug, Birgitte Ran Bennike Mayall, a designer and qualified ceramist, helped with the first models" said designer Pernille Vea.

It was designed as an informal mug for the wider public without a handle, now that the production method allowed for a surface that was cool to hold. It is the process that makes the double-walled cups both expensive and cumbersome. It is a long difficult process to create a cavity in the cup, which insulates and keeps the outer surface cool even when it is full of hot coffee.

But with a few tweaks in the production process, they were able to create thermo mugs at and affordable price. This production method revolutionized the way double-walled porcelain items are produced today and paved the way for the modern method of creating all thermo mugs. And that's quite a few..