Acme The quiet work of design

May2026 Products

The pursuit of great coffee is relentless. Grind size, water temperature, extraction time, milk texture. Baristas and home brewers fine-tune endlessly in search of a better cup.

With more than 30 years of experience in specialty coffee, we know this craft deserves to be honoured, not rushed. When it comes to the cup, every detail matters, because shape, weight, texture, and feel all influence how we experience aroma, sweetness, acidity, and flavour. It’s why baristas choose cups so carefully, and why competitors obsess over them on stage.

At Acme, thoughtful design starts with the people using our products. Every cup, plate, bowl, and piece of cutlery is designed and engineered in-house to make life better for the people who live with it.

Sometimes that’s obvious, like stackability. Sometimes it’s the quieter details. A plate lip that’s easier to pick up. A cup shape and size tuned to the drink it’s made to hold, bringing out the best in the coffee, whether that’s holding temperature, protecting crema, or keeping milk texture smooth and steady for latte art pours. The thickness of a cup wall, balancing durability with mouthfeel. Handles that fit fingers. Saucers that fit multiple cup sizes, creating less clutter and taking up less space. Small considerations that make a big difference for the people using them every day.

We design slowly and with intention, resisting trends and quick fixes in favour of products that earn their place over time and make fewer pieces work harder.

That same thinking extends to how our products are made. Taking our time allows for testing, refinement, and the occasional healthy obsession over millimetres. We work alongside talented craftspeople who bring centuries of porcelain expertise to every piece, because getting it right matters more than getting it fast.

The result is tableware that supports the people using it. Not trend-led, not attention-seeking. Just thoughtful design doing its job while coffee, food, and hospitality take centre stage.

For us, designing for people extends beyond the products themselves.

Last year, Acme partnered with Lexus New Zealand for the Lexus Design Awards, mentoring and supporting emerging designers from Aotearoa. As a small company built by people who have benefited from generous mentors, supporting the next generation of creative thinkers felt like a natural extension of what we do.

The same belief in people led co-owner Megan to join leading voices at NZ Design Week, discussing creativity, leadership, and the role design plays in shaping how we live and work. Later, Fashion Quarterly recognised Megan as one of a group of women helping shape the future of business, style, and design in New Zealand.

Whether we’re designing a cup, mentoring a young designer, supporting an emerging barista, or contributing to conversations about the future of design in Aotearoa, we work to the same principles: design that is thoughtful, useful, and built to last.

Good design rarely asks for attention. It feels right in use, quietly helping people do their best work, enjoy the things they love, and be a little more present in the process.

Acme The quiet work of design

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