Getting to know Alison: A love letter from our CEO

On the USEFULL blog, we focus on the waste problem, the USEFULL cups and bowls, the tech, and the solution… we want to show how USEFULL can help solve the plastic dilemma. But we don’t spend as much time talking about the people who make USEFULL happen. 

Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing the wonderful people who make USEFULL tick. And we’ll first start off with our amazing founder and CEO, Alison Cove. Recently, I got the chance to sit down with Alison in LA – since I work remotely, this was only my second time meeting her in person. It was wonderful to learn more about her and about her journey transforming USEFULL from an idea to the business it is today. 

Alison has always been curious about the environment. “Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, I always saw the brown water and wondered why it was that way,” she says. Her parents also exposed her to the environment and sustainability: her dad was an environmental lawyer who spent part of his career at the EPA, and her mom brought reusable bags to the grocery store before it was trendy. “My mom was the weird one at the grocery store with the canvas bags,” she remembers. By high school, Alison had started her own environmental journey – she joined an environmental club and did some local work focusing on the Chesapeake Bay. 

Fast forward a few years, and Alison found herself working in consulting after college graduation. In this period of life, she faced some conflicting values – when she got into the office early, she would treat herself to a Starbucks coffee, and she’d get a salad each day for lunch. Each item meant plastic, single-use takeout packaging. “I’d always considered myself an environmentalist, but my actions weren’t matching,” she remembers. 

And so the idea for USEFULL was born. USEFULL was founded upon the idea that much of human behavior is based on convenience and habit. And in turn, having things available for checkout solves the convenience problem, and makes sustainability much easier and more accessible. “The most rewarding thing about starting USEFULL is sitting at a college campus and watching it happen,” Alison says. “It’s so cool to see the behavior change in real life.”

I also asked Alison about her experiences as a female entrepreneur. “I admire so many qualities in other female entrepreneurs,” she says. “Humility, honesty, curiosity, being welcoming.” And advice for young women who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs? “Women have to be the strongest to build a business on their own. It’s best to fail cheaply, fail fast, and continue to test and refine ideas.” 

I finished off the interview by asking Alison a few quick and fun questions. 

In the spirit of the *best* thing to put in a USEFULL cup, what is your go-to coffee order?

Black coffee! I make it at home using a pour over. And if I go out to coffee, an oat milk latte is a treat. 

What are five songs you can’t live without?

Upbeat songs! Dancing in the Moonlight, September, and anything Elton John. 

What is a snapshot of an ordinary moment in your life that brings you great joy?

Being outside, sitting in silence, and observing the world happening around me, whether that is hiking or sitting on the front stoop of my apartment building. My dream is having a front porch with a rocking chair!

Thanks so much to Alison for sitting down to chat! Without her, we literally would not be here – and we can’t wait to see where USEFULL’s plastic-free takeout goes in the future.