Anthora

Anthora is a disposable paper coffee-cup design created in 1963 by Leslie Buck, a salesman and designer at the Sherri Cup Company. It was developed for the New York City coffee-shop market, particularly Greek-owned diners and luncheonettes. Buck adapted visual references associated with Greece and classical antiquity into a commercially distinctive paper cup: a blue-and-white palette inspired by the Greek flag, an amphora motif, Greek-key borders, steaming coffee cups, and the slogan “WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU” rendered in angular lettering that uses sigma-like forms for the letter E. The design’s name is commonly explained as a stylized or accented pronunciation of “amphora.” The cup’s importance comes from the relationship between packaging, immigration, and urban identity. Greek-American coffee-shop owners became one of the design’s principal customer groups, while the cup itself circulated widely through New York’s informal coffee economy. Its repeated appearance in diners, taxis, offices, streets, films, television programs, and photographs turned a mass-produced foodservice item into a visual shorthand for New York City. The Anthora is therefore remembered less as a conventional consumer brand than as a recognizable piece of civic and commercial vernacular design. The original format held approximately 10 U.S. fluid ounces, with smaller versions also produced. The design was copied or adapted by other manufacturers, leading to Greek-themed variants with different classical images and service slogans. These imitations broadened the visual category but also helped establish the original Anthora as the best-known example of the form. Sherri Cup later became part of the Solo Cup organization. Solo Cup was acquired by Dart Container in 2012, placing the Anthora design within Dart’s foodservice-packaging portfolio. Solo stopped regular production of the cup in 2006 while continuing to license the design, and production resumed in 2015. Dart currently presents Anthora paper hot cups as part of its commercial product offering. The design has also entered museum and design culture. It has been displayed in connection with the Museum of Modern Art and included in exhibitions and writing about American and New York design history. In 2003, designer Graham Hill created a ceramic replica that translated the disposable paper construction into a reusable object; the replica was sold through the Museum of Modern Art shop. A special edition commissioned by NBC for the 2004 Summer Olympics incorporated NBC branding and Olympic imagery. Anthora’s cultural legacy rests on its unusual combination of low-cost manufacture, clear graphic language, and local symbolism. Although originally intended to serve a specific commercial audience, its imagery became broadly legible as “New York.” Its continued production and licensing demonstrate how an ordinary package can outlive its initial market purpose and become an enduring design icon.

The Anthora originated at the Sherri Cup Company in 1963, when Leslie Buck developed a new paper coffee-cup design for the New York City market. Buck was seeking an appearance that would appeal to Greek-owned coffee shops, which were an important part of the city’s diner and luncheonette culture. Rather than treating the cup as a neutral disposable container, he gave it a strong identity based on Greek and classical references. The resulting design used a blue-and-white color scheme associated with Greece. Its central image suggested an ancient Greek amphora, while Greek-key borders framed the upper and lower edges. Three steaming cups of coffee reinforced the product’s everyday function. The slogan “WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU” was drawn in angular lettering intended to evoke ancient Greek inscriptions; sigma-like characters were used in place of conventional E forms. The name Anthora is generally associated with Buck’s pronunciation of “amphora,” shaped by his Eastern European accent. The design became especially visible through Greek-American coffee shops in New York. Its distribution through ordinary commercial channels gave it a broad street presence, and the cup gradually became associated with the city beyond the businesses that first adopted it. The Anthora’s imagery was direct enough to be recognized quickly, yet specific enough to suggest a particular social and cultural setting. As a result, it became a recurring symbol of New York’s diner culture and working urban life. The cup was not the only Greek-themed paper coffee cup in circulation. Other manufacturers produced related designs featuring classical subjects such as discus throwers, the Parthenon, or musicians, often with modified service slogans. These variants helped create a wider visual category, but they also made the original Anthora easier to identify as the leading example. Sherri Cup was later acquired by Solo Cup. Solo halted regular Anthora production in 2006, although the design continued to be licensed. Its reduced availability led commentators and writers to describe the cup as an endangered element of New York’s visual culture. Production resumed in 2015. In 2012, Dart Container acquired Solo Cup, and Anthora subsequently became part of Dart’s foodservice packaging range. The design’s influence extended beyond disposable packaging. It appeared in films, television, photography, and other representations of New York, where it could evoke the city with minimal explanation. It was also recognized by design institutions and historical exhibitions, including contexts associated with the Museum of Modern Art and the Clark Art Institute. In 2003, Graham Hill of ExceptionLab designed a ceramic replica that reproduced the paper cup’s structure as a permanent, reusable object. The replica was sold through the Museum of Modern Art shop, demonstrating that the Anthora had become a collectible design reference as well as a working package. NBC commissioned a special version for the 2004 Summer Olympics, combining the familiar cup format with NBC’s peacock branding and Olympic rings. The edition illustrated how the design could be adapted for institutional and promotional use while preserving its recognizable visual vocabulary. Leslie Buck did not receive royalties from the design, although his commercial success as a salesman was reportedly recognized within the company. When he retired from Sherri Cup in 1992, he was presented with 10,000 Anthora cups printed with a testimonial inscription. Buck died in 2010. In later commentary, the cup’s service motto was interpreted not merely as advertising copy but as an expression of welcome and modest hospitality. Today, Anthora remains an active commercial design associated with paper hot cups and a durable cultural emblem of New York. Its history illustrates how packaging can acquire meaning through repeated use, local business networks, popular media, and institutional recognition.

1. 2015Production restarts

   Commercial production of the Anthora design resumes after its earlier discontinuation.

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2. 2012Dart Container acquires Solo Cup

   The acquisition places the Anthora design within Dart Container’s foodservice packaging business.

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3. 2006Solo halts regular production

   Solo stops regular production of the Anthora cup but continues to license the design.

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4. 2004NBC commissions an Olympic edition

   NBC commissions a special Anthora edition featuring its peacock logo and the Olympic rings for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

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5. 2003Ceramic Anthora replica is created

   Graham Hill designs a ceramic replica that turns the disposable cup’s construction into a reusable, permanent object; it is sold through the Museum of Modern Art shop.

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6. 1992Buck retires from Sherri Cup

   When Buck retires, the company presents him with 10,000 Anthora cups carrying a testimonial inscription.

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7. 1963Leslie Buck creates the Anthora design

   Leslie Buck develops the blue-and-white Greek-inspired paper coffee cup for Sherri Cup’s New York customers, especially Greek-owned coffee shops.

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A recognizable foodservice-packaging design positioned around Greek-inspired graphics, diner culture, and New York City heritage.

• Anthora Solo paper hot cupsDisposable paper coffee cups1963

  The core Anthora product is a disposable paper hot cup using the familiar blue-and-white Greek-inspired artwork. The design includes an amphora motif, Greek-key borders, steaming coffee cups, and a stylized hospitality slogan. The original format was approximately 10 U.S. fluid ounces, while smaller versions have also been produced. The cups are intended for coffee shops, diners, restaurants, offices, and other foodservice settings.

• Ceramic Anthora replicaDesign collectible2003

  Created by Graham Hill in 2003, this ceramic object reproduces the visual language and construction logic of the disposable Anthora cup in a permanent form. It reframes a familiar foodservice package as a reusable design object and was sold through the Museum of Modern Art shop.

• 2004NBC Summer Olympics Anthora edition

  United States

  NBC commissioned a special Anthora cup for the 2004 Summer Olympics, combining the established Greek-inspired design with NBC’s peacock logo and Olympic rings.

  Outcome. The commission demonstrated the design’s adaptability as a promotional and cultural-identity format beyond ordinary diner use.

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• 2015Anthora production resumesProduct launch

  After regular production had stopped in 2006, the established New York-associated design retained enough commercial and cultural demand to return to the market.

  What changed. Production of Anthora paper cups restarted.

  Aftermath. The design returned to active foodservice availability and is now presented within Dart Container’s paper hot-cup portfolio.

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• 2006Solo suspends regular Anthora productionStrategy

  The Anthora had become culturally recognizable, but Solo discontinued regular production while retaining licensing activity.

  What changed. Solo halted regular production of the cup in 2006 and continued to license the design.

  Aftermath. The reduced availability contributed to commentary about the cup as an endangered New York cultural artifact; production later resumed in 2015.

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• 2015Anthora production resumes

  Production of the Anthora design restarted after its period of reduced availability, returning the cup to the commercial foodservice market.

  Product generation
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• 2012Dart Container acquires Solo Cup

  Dart Container acquired Solo Cup, bringing the Anthora design into Dart’s broader disposable foodservice-products portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2006Solo Cup halts regular Anthora production

  Solo stopped regular production of the Anthora cup while retaining the ability to license the design, prompting commentary about the possible disappearance of a familiar New York object.

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1. Anthora
2. Dart Container: Anthora Solo Paper Hot Cups