Our Mission
As a USA-based manufacturer of sustainable tableware, our mission is to rid the world of single-use plastic waste.
Our Story
As a family of entrepreneurs, we are a registered Minority Business Enterprise with the State of Kansas and with Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council.
It was the Summer of 2018 when single-use plastic pollution was all the news. Television programs like “Blue Planet” documented the impact of single-use plastic on our environment. We all saw the images of the sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in their nose. Those images made us think and ask ourselves how we could make a difference.
At that time, there was only one paper straw manufacturer in the USA. So we decided to get into the business. We booked flights to find all the necessary equipment needed to setup a paper straw factory in the USA.
Business was great until COVID-19 hit. Nearly 40% of restaurants shut down due the pandemic. We turned our straw making machines off and hoped for the best.
While the pandemic persisted, new compostable biopolymers were being developed.
KonzaWare™ represents the new wave of compostable biopolymers being developed today.
Today's KonzaWare™ are compostable per ASTM 6400. In the very near future, we anticipate offering products that meet OK compostable HOME certification for compostability. We believe that will be the ultimate home compostable product when it arrives on the market.
Giving Back
While it's important to tackle climate-change, it's equally important to help others that need help.
KonzaWare™ is a proud supporter of City Impact of Las Vegas, Nevada. Headed by Elizabeth Gallagher, City Impact offers results-producing programs designed to help people grow and improve their lives.
Highlights of City Impact include:
- Innovations International Charter School - Grades 6 thru 12 with a 100% graduation rate.
- City Impact After School Program - A safe haven to kids to spend after school.
- Pathways Community Services - Family counseling and substance-abuse counseling.
- Impact Urban Night School - Helps adults obtain their High School Equivalency.
- City Impact Urban Food Bank - Provides fresh food to families in need.
- City Impact Senior Living Center - Low income senior living.
- Drunks in Recovery Together Beating Alcoholism - 12 step program to beat alcohol and substance abuse.
- Sunrise Children's Foundation - An early childhood development program for kids.
- Sunshine Urban Garden - An urban fruit and vegetable garden for the local community.
- Health Care Professional Network - An on-campus health clinic.
- Odyssey APS Group - A free job placement service