Author Archives: Allen King

For the Environmentally Conscious Foodservice Operator: Eco-Friendly Food Trays are the Real Deal

August 15, 2012 | By Allen King

In response to the requests from many of our customers for a food boat that looked “natural”, we located a line of food trays we hadn’t seen before in the marketplace. Instead of white trays printed with the usual red plaid design, here were food trays that were kraft in color and unprinted! Our Natural Kraft Food Trays have become one of the most popular products at our webstore (http://biomasspackagingstore.com/). Our customers love this simple product for two reasons: Price and Performance.

Our natural kraft food trays represent simplicity itself and are a visual definition of “green food packaging.” They are unbleached and unprinted, so they’re less processed … Read More

Can Packaging Help a Brand Keep Its Promise?

July 3, 2012 | By Allen King

Brand marketers often talk about something called the “brand promise.” This can be defined in various ways but, to me, it comes down to the essence of the brand. In other words, what core value the brand brings to the customer’s life. If you think about some of your favorite brands, you might find that what they say in their advertising and marketing reflects this brand promise, and that it closely correlates with what you like most about that brand.

Brands are complicated beasts as they’re the sum total of so many elements: graphic design, brand character, brand language, style, and so forth. Naturally, these days, sustainability is an important … Read More

Foodservice operators can green their waste-stream

April 17, 2012 | By Allen King

Has this happened to you? You go to empty your compostables garbage can and the bag disintegrates in your hand just as you lift it out of the container. Yuck! That won’t happen with our new certified-compostable can liners.

These days, businesses want to send more of their food and organic waste to municipal composting facilities but don’t know where to source strong and economical can liners that are accepted in municipal compost programs. We’re trying to change that by offering super-tough bags in a wide variety of sizes that are approved for use at any compost facility that accepts restaurant or home food and yard waste. We’re confident … Read More

Busy Consumers Spur Innovation in Food Packaging

February 29, 2012 | By Allen King

Standing in line at Starbucks the other day, I glanced at the cold case that was strategically located beside the line of customers. No, I wasn’t hungry. It was more of a field survey of how a forward-thinking foodservice operator is taking advantage of the latest packaging innovations. Over the years, Starbucks has been quite vocal about its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint, with initiatives to reduce waste by carefully selecting recyclable materials, smart waste recovery and recycling programs, green building projects and efforts to reduce water usage.

More recently, Starbucks has also turned its attention to nutrition by looking for ways to offer its customers a wider variety … Read More

Smart restaurants add sustainability to their menus

January 18, 2012 | By Allen King

Here’s my prediction for 2012: we’ll see less use of the word “greenwashing.” Why? Because any company or brand that’s serious about adopting sustainable business practices will have already integrated environmentally conscious attitudes into not only their back office and customer-facing operations but also into their core brand value proposition. Similarly, these companies understand that customers and business partners are becoming more sophisticated about how they interpret any company’s marketing and brand messages that highlight sustainability. The bar is now higher, and marketers need to be able to justify their claims or risk a customer backlash if they’re caught exaggerating or misrepresenting their planet-friendly goals.

There’s another good reason that … Read More

Richmond packaging company confronts Styrofoam head-on

November 23, 2011 | By Allen King

By Derek Lartaud, Richmond Confidential

In the food-packaging business, polystyrene has become a four-letter word. That petroleum-based environmental havoc-wreaker — often referred to as Styrofoam — has been largely phased out by Bay Area restaurants and foodservice companies in response to a consumer base that has demanded a commitment to sustainability. Gone are the days when your Big Mac was served up in a bright yellow foam clamshell.

Despite all of this, polystyrene has managed to keep a foothold in an unlikely place — the supermarket. Just a few aisles down from the organic produce and reusable fabric tote bags are eggs nestled in polystyrene cartons, and shelves stacked with … Read More