As a food business, there is a delicate balance that must be met between reducing packaging waste and upholding food safety standards. If we sacrificed food freshness and transportability for eco packaging, we would be increasing food waste and disappointing you, our customers! 

We can hear what you're saying: if it ain't broke, don't fix it! good old butcher paper! We're all nostalgic for the original feel and sound of butcher paper. You would watch the butcher wrap up your preferred cut in greyish brown butcher paper and hand it over. Nowadays we still see butcher paper at the supermarket deli, but with the unfortunate addition of a plastic bag. So why did we move away from butcher paper? 

The main culprit is the shift neighbourhood butcher, fruit market, baker etc. where the concierge or producer picked and packed the products for you to the supermarket "Self-Service" model. In this self-service model, the food needs to be visible, able to be put in a cart straight away and to be shelf stable for a long time. To learn more about how the supermarket model came around, listen to this podcast ep from John Green. Even behind the counter of the deli, a plastic bag is added because of: problems with leakage, oxidation from air exposure and a reduced freshness period from 7+ days to <2 days. Modern customers are not equipped to manage this difference of experience from the current experience. 

The obvious solution, to improve shelf-life and ensure visibility for consumers, was plastic. But now we know how much of an impact plastic packaging has on not only the environment but our health, too. Microplastics are being found in our lungs, our bloodstreams, our water and even foetuses! That's why we were so dedicated to finding an option that both kept your food safe and reduce food waste, but also not relying on plastic. In 2025, we finally found the answer: sugarcane pulp trays.