Vermont Just Became the First State To Ban Food Scraps in Trash

By Good Start Packaging on Jul 24, 2020 12:55:06 PM

Is this the start of a new wave of legislation in the U.S. to help divert food waste? Beginning July 1, 2020, Vermont took a big step forward in protecting the environment. Now unused or leftover organic material must be donated to those in need, used as animal feed, composted, or dropped off at recycling centers.

Continue Reading

Coronavirus Crisis: How Foodservice Operators are Feeding Communities

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 16, 2020 9:52:45 AM

The Coronavirus crisis has dealt a harsh blow to foodservice operators. Mandated closures put in place across the country have caused many restaurants to adapt and get creative with their business models. But, despite these challenging times, businesses are supporting their communities with the same care and hospitality they've always provided their customers.

Continue Reading

4 Creative Ways Restaurants Are Getting Through The Coronavirus Crisis

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 1, 2020 8:07:57 AM

Foodservice operators across the U.S. have been thrown into a bumpy ride that they are being forced to navigate quickly. But, bar and restaurant owners are rising to the challenge and coming up with unique ways to improve cash flow, keep their purveyors in business and communities fed. Here are four ways foodservice operators are adapting with some creative thinking.

Continue Reading

How Foodservice Operators Are Adapting During The Coronavirus Crisis

By Good Start Packaging on Mar 25, 2020 6:51:51 AM

We're in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. It's a scary, uncertain and troubling time and one that no foodservice operator could have predicted.

Continue Reading

Great Alternatives To Your Favorite Eco-Friendly PLA Products

By Good Start Packaging on Jan 30, 2020 2:27:48 PM

More and more consumers are demanding eco-friendly products with businesses wanting to offer sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic. At the same time, there are a limited number of factories that produce PLA resin worldwide. 

Continue Reading

How to Care For and Store PLA Packaging For Food

By Good Start Packaging on Jun 5, 2019 3:20:02 PM

Congrats! You've made the switch from single-use plastics to plant-based compostables. To make sure your packaging lasts for you and your customers, we've put together this easy care guide.

Continue Reading

Is This Recyclable?

By Good Start Packaging on Mar 15, 2019 9:40:12 AM

There can be confusion about what is and is not recyclable. Placing the wrong items into the recycle bin can contaminate the recycle stream and could end up in a landfill anyway.

Today we explore common items which you likely have in your home right now: Pizza Boxes, Paper Coffee Cups, Styrofoam, and Plastic Shopping Bags.

Continue Reading

What Do These Recycling Symbols & Numbers on Plastic Containers Mean?

By Good Start Packaging on Jan 25, 2019 11:23:00 AM

While it may seem like a secret recycling code, the symbols printed on plastic items identify what items are made of. Plastic containers like milk jugs and water bottles all contain a numerical code for the resin type. This resin identification coding system was created in 1988 as a way to improve identification of resin types for recycling programs. This coding system is critical today.

Continue Reading

Why Compostable Containers Make Sense Even if You Can’t Compost Them

By Ken Jacobus on Nov 26, 2018 9:01:00 AM

We often get questions from restaurant owners about the benefits of using compostable take out containers in cities where there is no commercial compost service for residents or businesses. Recently a restaurant in Oakland (which has a compost service) also wondered what happens if a consumer takes a compostable container and puts it in a city trash can instead of a compost bin.  

We love these questions because it means people are becoming conscious of the massive amounts of food packaging waste we create and agree we need solutions for it.

Continue Reading

Complete Guide to Juice Bottles

By Good Start Packaging on Oct 15, 2018 9:36:05 AM

You’ve put care into creating your signature line of juices, to go cocktails or cold coffee drinks. You’ve picked the highest quality ingredients and perfected your recipes through trial and error. Your juices and smoothies are healthy for your customers and for the environment. Use the same attention to detail when shopping for packaging to match. Here’s what to look for to select the right bottling options for your delicious creations.

Continue Reading

Dunkin' Donuts Phasing Out Styrofoam is an Environment Win

By Ken Jacobus on Feb 18, 2018 6:45:57 PM

The future of the environment looks a little brighter after Dunkin' Donuts announced it is phasing out the use of polystyrene foam cups for its hot beverage products. Dunkin' Donuts said their more than 9,000 U.S. restaurants will shift to Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard certified paper cups by the year 2020. According to Dunkin' Donuts, the corporate shift will remove approximately 1 billion foam coffee cups from the waste system each year, which equates to more than 79 cups-per-minute. 

Continue Reading

Are Compostable To-Go Containers Up to the Job?

By Ken Jacobus on Aug 18, 2017 8:30:00 AM

Old school food service packaging is under attack with municipal, state and local governments proposing bans on traditional foam food packaging products.

Continue Reading

From Foodie to Foodpreneur - The Secrets of Success

By Good Start Packaging on Jul 9, 2017 8:00:00 PM

In the age of the 'side hustle' and unique culinary concepts, it is not surprising that foodies are using their own culinary ideas and turning them into small food businesses. But, how do you successfully become a foodpreneur? How do you transition your concept from your kitchen, to store shelves and then, ultimately, into the consumer’s hands?

Continue Reading

Restaurant Marketing Ideas: Increase Sales During Slow Times & Seasons

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 14, 2017 3:00:00 PM

Whether it’s your first year or your tenth year in business, there are bound to be certain times of the week or year that are slower than others. Usually it’s after the holiday rush - in January and February - or in the beginning of the week, on Mondays and Tuesdays.

What should you do during those slow times? Should you just accept that you’ll have less business and find something else productive to work on? Or do you market and promote so you’ll have more people coming in and business to keep busy? The answer is both. You can’t control the seasonality and the reality that more people dine out on weekends. But there are lots of things you can do to grow your business even during slow times.

Continue Reading

Why Free Shipping is Bad for You (Part 2)

By Ken Jacobus on May 20, 2014 1:40:00 PM

In part 1 of Why Shipping is Bad for You, I shared two facts that you should know about free shipping.  Now we get into the details on why free shipping might be bad for you and your business. 

Continue Reading

Why Free Shipping is Bad for You (Part 1)

By Ken Jacobus on May 13, 2014 10:32:00 AM

As a company that ships products around the country, in many cases to areas that have local competition for the same product, Good Start Packaging has struggled for years with how to price our products (including delivery costs) in a way that is both fair to everyone and as competitive as possible with every form of competition there is out there. 

Continue Reading

Restaurant Customer Loyalty Programs: Are They Worth the Cost?

By Ken Jacobus on May 8, 2014 3:33:00 PM

Each year, thousands of U.S. restaurants and cafés start or consider starting a customer loyalty program.  Typically these programs involve giving the customer a card that is stamped for each purchase. After a typical 10 purchases, the customer gets a free meal or drink. Given the popularity of these programs and the ubiquity of the cards in many people’s wallets, many would think these programs add value that justifies the cost to the business. However, there is little evidence to support this.

You can do a search on the internet and find numerous arguments for and against customer loyalty programs.  Most of the ones in support of them are from companies that sell services like digital loyalty tracking programs.  A typical program will have a press release with an ambiguous statistic like “Of those patrons that are aware of a loyalty program at a favorite restaurant, 87% participate in the program.” 

So what does this tell us- that most people who know they can get something they like for free will take it?  We don’t need a statistician to figure that out.  What you never see from these companies is hard data that strongly correlates an increase in revenue and profit with the implementation of a loyalty program.  

Continue Reading

What Happens to the Plastic You Think You're Recycling

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 24, 2014 1:38:00 PM

When we toss our plastic bottle into the recycle container - we feel we have done our part. But what really happens to the recycled plastic - where does it go, and are we really making a difference by doing this?

Continue Reading

Grass Fed vs Grain Fed: Understanding the Labels

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 22, 2014 1:31:00 PM

Sustainable living comes down to more than merely preserving the environment. The ultimate in making a more sustainable lifestyle also means protecting one's health. One can do this in part through knowing the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed meats. The following is some clarification on what these terms really mean for the consumer.

Continue Reading

10 Real World Lessons Learned From Running a Small Business (Part 2)

By Ken Jacobus on Apr 17, 2014 9:54:00 AM

In part 1 of this series, I shared five lessons I’ve learned as a small business owner. Here are the next five tips I’d like to discuss in hopes that other restaurant and small business entrepreneurs will take away something from what I’ve learned so far.

Continue Reading

10 Real World Lessons Learned From Running a Small Business (Part 1)

By Ken Jacobus on Apr 15, 2014 11:32:00 AM

This month marks the 5 year anniversary of the start of Good Start Packaging. Our blog is focused on helping the food service industry be more successful and to reduce plastic. But this week, I thought I’d share some practical tips I’ve learned as a small business owner these past five years in the hope that my experience might help reduce wasted time and money for a few small businesses and speed the path to your success. Though I’m not a restaurant owner, I think these tips are applicable to any small business including restaurants.

After having run a sales organization for a large public software company, I figured running a small packaging distribution business would be about the same level of difficulty. I was wrong! In fact, it's much more challenging, requiring more stamina, more ability to wear multiple hats, and a greater ability to synthesize multiple streams of information into meaningful actions. A small business usually has little room to waste time or money so this is really a critical skill.  

Below are the top 10 things I’ve learned that help build success. 

1. No Whining

Continue Reading

Full Circle Sustainability: Reducing Waste in Restaurants

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 10, 2014 4:35:00 PM

The goal of reducing waste across many sectors of the food-service industry is following a paradigm shift. Discarded waste that fills non-degradable bags and populates landfills is not only aesthetically undesirable, but it's also environmentally irresponsible. "Going green" and "reducing our carbon footprint" are not just buzzwords; they are responsible steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Continue Reading

Growing Your Own Food Organically

By Good Start Packaging on Apr 1, 2014 9:43:00 AM

Growing organic produce can be easier than many have been led to believe. One of the most effective approaches to fresh, organic produce, naturally, is to create the effluent kitchen garden off the back of a rear exit.  

Continue Reading

Cooked to Order: Keeping Up with Dietary Needs

By Good Start Packaging on Mar 18, 2014 8:32:00 AM

Our world is full of fast food, TV dinners, and even sit-down restaurants that masquerade as fancy while offering what is essentially a menu full of heat-and-serve entrees. With an increased awareness of dietary sensitivities, food allergies, health concerns, and even religious priorities, consumers are more and more frequently seeking sustainable establishments which cater to their specific dietary requirements.

Continue Reading

Three Reasons Why Disposable Plastic is Unsustainable

By Good Start Packaging on Mar 11, 2014 9:03:00 AM

For decades, plastic, which includes polystyrene foam (e.g. Syrofoam™) film has been used to seal and protect food products. Foam is sturdy enough to support a modest amount of weight and other plastics, when sealed properly, keep foods fresh and free from contamination for several days at a time.

When plastic food packaging containers were first developed, they took off quickly because of their convenience and growing number of practical uses. While they were easy to use and extremely cost effective, their use came at a high price for the environment. The damage to the environment was twofold. First because of the manufacturing processes and chemicals used in their creation and, secondly, due to littering and the amount of plastic and foam containers that ended up in landfills.

Topics: Plastics
Continue Reading

Guide to Bamboo Dinnerware

By Good Start Packaging on Mar 6, 2014 9:59:32 AM

Studies conducted by Canadian scientist Martin Hocking have demonstrated that making disposable paper products uses as much petroleum or natural gas as polystyrene plates. The study showed that paper product production uses 12 times as much steam and 36 times as much electricity.

Topics: Bamboo
Continue Reading

Double Wall Insulated Coffee Cups vs Coffee Cup Sleeves

By Ken Jacobus on Mar 4, 2014 8:00:00 AM

There are few things better than playing with a laser thermometer, and drinking a lot of coffee while getting paid for it. 

Today we’re testing the claims that double wall insulated hot cups are better than using recycled cup sleeves with traditional single wall hot cups. Double wall hot cups are made by manufacturing two paper walls with an insulating air pocket between them. Some manufacturers have claimed using a double wall cup avoids the need for a sleeve and keeps drinks hotter longer. 

Continue Reading

Made in China vs Made in USA: Which is more sustainable? Part 2

By Ken Jacobus on Feb 18, 2014 8:30:00 AM

In part 1 of this 2 part series, we disclosed some of the tolls that even our own "green" products can have on the environment.  In this post, we are going to share a few of the things we are doing to improve upon those issues.

Continue Reading

Made in China vs Made in USA: Which is Better for the Environment? Part 1

By Ken Jacobus on Feb 13, 2014 9:02:00 AM

Good Start Packaging is very conscious of the entire lifecycle environmental footprint of the products we sell. After all, just because a product is compostable doesn’t mean a lot of environmentally unsustainable things happened to produce and transport it to you.   

We do try to source as many products as possible that are Made in the USA. We don’t mean to pick on China specifically since the United States imports products from many countries.  But the fact is that many of the products Americans buy and even some of Good Start Packaging’s compostable food packaging are made in China.  That’s why many people are increasingly concerned about what this means for the economy and the global environment. 

We get questions every week from concerned clients about where our coffee cups and other take-out containers are made.  We’re happy to be transparent about the answers to this because doing so enhances the discussion about what we can all do to improve the environment. 

Continue Reading

A Breakdown of Poly Lactic Acid

By Ken Jacobus on Jan 30, 2014 8:30:00 AM

As today’s market grows ever-greener, new technologies are emerging in an effort to meet the needs of industries seeking more environmentally friendly alternatives for packaging. Enter biodegradable plastics created with the help of poly lactic acid (PLA).

Continue Reading

How Excellent Customer Service Can Make Your Business Successful

By Ken Jacobus on Jan 9, 2014 9:29:00 AM

Last year I attended the Specialty Coffee Association Conference in Boston. One of the most memorable presenters was Nathanael May from Portland Coffee Roasters, who are known for striving for environmental sustainability. 

His presentation was titled “Customer Service from the Barista” and was geared for the coffee shop owner audience. But its insight is relevant throughout the entire food service industry.

Continue Reading

The Harmful Effects of Styrofoam Products on the Environment

By Ken Jacobus on Jan 7, 2014 5:01:00 PM

What You Might Not Know About Foam

Many cities around the U.S. have passed or are in the process of passing laws that prohibit the use of expanded polystyrene foam take-out containers. 

Continue Reading

Produce Bags: The New Target of Plastic Bag Bans

By Ken Jacobus on Apr 9, 2012 12:42:00 PM

With more and more cities such as San Jose, CA adopting the ban on plastic bags, the focus is now being turned to the the produce aisles. While you may not be able to get a plastic bag for your groceries at the checkout stand (or may have to pay .10 cents per recycled bag), you still can separate your fruits and vegetables in the single use plastic bags found in the produce aisles. 

Continue Reading

Should I Resell or Recycle Used Cardboard Boxes?

By Ken Jacobus on Mar 26, 2012 11:12:00 AM

Many businesses that are environmentally responsible will discard their used cardboard boxes off to the recycling centers, but environmentally responsible businesses that are also a bit savvy, will avoid recycling their used boxes and resell them to UsedCardboardBoxes.com instead.

Marty Metro, Founder and CEO of UsedCardboardBoxes.com has taken his "neighborhood experiment" of buying and selling used cardboard boxes, and turned it into a business that has a customer base that includes a national contract UPS and has caught the attention of Wal-Mart by claiming to cut their costs by 10-15 percent!

UsedCardboardBoxes.com buys used boxes from large companies at higher rate than recycling centers and then sells the used boxes to other companies and consumers at a lower rate than retail stores. They offer free 1-2 day shipping and services every residential and business address in the continental U.S.!

Continue Reading

Mushroom Packaging Containers - An Eco-Friendly Alternative

By Ken Jacobus on Mar 12, 2012 11:44:00 AM

A while back we wrote a post about a specific amazing fungi being able to digest polyurethane, but when thinking about environmentally friendly alternatives to the huge styrofoam (Polystyrene) packaging problem, do mushrooms come to mind?

They will now. In 2007, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre founded Ecovative Design, a company that creates a mushroom based alternative to styrofoam packaging!

How does it work? After becoming fascinated with mushrooms growing in wood chips, Eben and Gavin noticed how the fungal mycelium (the vegetative part containing thread like hyphae) strongly bonded the wood chips together. this observation inspired them to think about using the mycelium as a bonding resin.

Continue Reading