Edibles; Edible and biodegradable tableware

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

Edibles; Edible and biodegradable tableware

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Startupfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

Currently in validation phase

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

Our company is mainly focusing on the edible tableware segment in the subcategory of edible cups and spoons.

These edible tableware are made from all-natural and organic ingredients. Our strategy for success is to offer a unique and environmentally-friendly solution to the growing global plastic waste problem.

Only in the Netherlands alone we use 3.5 billion spoons, enough to fill up the entire Johan Cruyff Arena!

There are also upcoming legislation which will ban paper cups (due to their plastic content) in the Netherlands in January 2024 and currently we’re the only plastic-free single use alternative.

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

We think our solution is unique because our products are plastic free, home compostable and circular.

It’s true that they are not reusable to the extent of hard plastics but hard plastics are still plastics and in a lot of situations used like a single use tableware.

These alternatives are creating a whole different problem and the only plus would be the fact that they are also outside of the legislation like ours.

If an organization is using these hard plastics, they should just go back to the previous options which were the ceramic / glass and or even the metallic options.

The hard plastic options are also not a long term solution as they have a life cycle making them a temporary reusable option.

They change in color, starting having an odor as well as breakdown over time. They are just not circular which our products are

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

To be able to develop and create our own product we need funding separate to our current operations.

We started with outsourcing the products to already existing manufacturers because then we could have just concentrated on sales and also not competing with the quality difference as the manufacturing company has had immense experience in their own sector.

Over time we would like to develop a product that not only meets the quality of the big manufacturers but are more sustainable and can even be produced locally here in the Netherlands.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

Without cash we are limited on our own purchase size without charging the customers first. In a sense we would only be able to focus on the smaller cafes / ice cream stores that would actively be generating revenue for us. We can still operate without this amount but with this amount, our growth will accelerate immensely. 

Subsidies and loans are great things to have but one of the other pillars with need are investors, investors who might share the same values and goals we do whom we can work with. Having an investor might allow us to find our direction faster and also get some consulting advice from once in a while.