Aspenware Compostable Cutlery

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PROUDLY MANUFACTURED IN NORTH AMERICA

About

THE ASPENWARE STORY Three shop teachers walked into a kitchen and changed the world.They weren't thinking about saving the world after watching a TV report on wooden cutlery. These teachers with a healthy sense of curiosity, were instead wondering how to improve on that cutlery.Shortly thereafter, the three set up shop in the Bigsby kitchen and started working. A little creative thinking, plenty of hard work, and a few burnt oven mitts later, the first laminated wooden spoon popped out of a re-tooled waffle iron.It took a few years of tinkering to arrive at the beautiful pieces of birch cutlery. The rest of us at Aspenware Inc. think it was time well spent. Aspenware Cutlery is a compostable solution to the billions of plastic knives, forks and spoons that end up in landfill every year. It may be single use cutlery, but it's engineered to perform, and each completely unique piece is designed to capture your imagination with sustainability as a critical goal.
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Product

Wooden Cutlery PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONAspenware manufactures fully compostable, disposable wooden cutlery. Our fibre source is nature's renewable resource of very fast growing but short lived trees that are harvested at their natural maturity just before they die off naturally. Aspenware's product line includes a fork, a knife, a spoon and a soup spoon. Aspenware is comparable in size to conventional cutlery, the utensils are lightweight and strong, as well as ergonomically designed and aesthetically pleasing. Aspenware forks are able to pierce a raw carrot. Aspenware spoons and soup spoons withstand hot liquids. Aspenware knives able to slice easily through steak. Aspenware cutlery is all-natural, comprised of two thin layers of birch and/or aspen veneer laminated with a safe, edible, USFDA-approved binding agent. To eliminate any wooden taste, the eating portion of the cutlery is sprayed with a tasteless, kosher confectioners glaze. This glaze eliminates the ‘wicking’ sensation often associated with bare wood and helps speed the composting process. Aspenware holds international patents pending for its cutlery, which cover the products’ design and its unique, multi-layer construction. In addition, all its utensils meet North American food safety standards, while maintaining a competitive pricing strategy.
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Aspenware Product Guide June 2010.pdf

Foodservice
FOOD SERVICE HOSPITALITY PACKAGINGAspenware cutlery is the biodegradable solution to the billions of plastic utensils that get tossed into our landfills each year. Wood is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable making it the material of choice for people today and for future generations. Our cutlery is well-designed, functional and our knives are strong enough to cut a “thick juicy steak”! Each piece is 100% natural, backyard compostable and has a Kosher and Pareve certified coating. Cases of 500 or 1000 pieces are available
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Retail
RETAIL PACKAGINGAspenware cutlery is the biodegradable solution to the billions of plastic utensils that get tossed into our landfills each year. Each piece is 100% natural, backyard compostable and has a Kosher and Pareve certified coating. Aspenware is sold in cases of 25 or 50 packages which includes an unassembled convenient countertop display. Each package contains 12 pieces of cutlery. Available in fork, knife, spoon and variety (4 pieces of each utensil).Like our cutlery, all of our packaging started out as wood fibre and is completely backyard compostable! Even the retail bag that looks like “plastic” is actually a cellulose based wood fibre product!
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Cutlery Kits
CELLULOSE WRAPPED CUTLERY KITSAspenware cutlery is the biodegradable solution to the billions of plastic utensils that get tossed into our landfills each year. Wood is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable making it the material of choice for people today and for future generations. Each piece is 100% natural, backyard compostable and has a Kosher and Pareve certified coating. These cutlery kits are individually wrapped in compostable cellulose film Though it looks like plastic, the NatureFlex™ Film, made by Innovia, is true cellulose, produced from 100% plant and wood fibre. This material is completely compostable, is certified according to European and American standards for composting and will even biodegrade in a marine environment. This material is a perfect fit for Aspenware as it has been proven suitable for home composting –just like Aspenware’'s cutlery.
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Packaging RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT PACKAGINGAspenware has taken great care to ensure all aspects of our company are as environmentally friendly as possible. This includes the material used to package our retail product. Though it looks like plastic, the NatureFlex™ Film, made by Innovia, is true cellulose, produced from 100% plant and wood fibre. This material is completely compostable, is certified according to European and American standards for composting and will biodegrade in a marine environment. This material is a perfect fit for Aspenware as it has been proven suitable for home composting – just like Aspenware’s cutlery.The film being used for packaging is clear, allowing for a view of the product and offers Aspenware the opportunity to align their packaging message with the spirit of their product marketing. We can also brand our product and packaging with customer logos and designs. There are a variety of package configurations for retail markets, they can also be custom designed for shelf display or racking. This film is ideal for packaging Food Service & Hospitality (FSH) product that are hygienic and sealed as it is specifically formulated to control moisture permeability. NatureFlex film can be printed on using vegetable inks to allow for marketing information about the customer, product, etc. while staying true to Aspenware’s environmental priorities.Case packaging is 100% recyclable.
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Wooden Cutlery

Foodservice

Retail

Cutlery Kits

Packaging

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#3 - 1935 11th AvenueVernon, BC,Canada, V1T 9A9Tel: (250) 545 4470Fax: (250) 545 4468Email Us

Distributors Canada Green Natural Products3 - 2061 Logan Ave.Winnipeg, BC, Canada, R2R 0J1204-415-6585www.cagreen.caBriteland Distributors3208 28th StreetVernon, BC, Canada, V1T 4Z8250-545-3240www.briteland.comPhillip Jacobsen Sherwood Park, Albertasales_greenmunch.cawww.greenmunch.caNational Importers120 - 13100 Mitchell Rd.Richmond, BC, V6V 1M8604-324-1551TF: 1-888-894-6464www.nationalimporters.comUS DistributorsVegas Bar & Restaurant Supply4375 South Valley ViewSuite GLas Vegas, NV, USA, 89103702-642-8342www.vegasbarsupply.comVerTerra47-00 33rd StreetLong Island City, NY, USA, 11101718-383-3333www.verterra.com

Interested in distributing Aspenware products?

Aspenware is searching for established distributors in key areas to promote and sell bulk foodservice and retail packaged products. Call Aspenware at 250-547-6495 or email

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Media

Media Kit Food for thought....We all know the effects of introducing plastics on the environment. Their advantage has always been price and availability. Aspenware’s compostable wooden cutlery changes that dynamic. Using all natural wood veneers allows us to manufacture superior cutlery at prices competitive with high end plastics and do it using sustainable forestry practices that do not damage the environment.We are also the only North American manufacturer of wooden cutlery. We use locally sourced naturally grown wood veneers in our manufacturing process. This lowers our carbon footprint dramatically as we do not have to ship raw materials or our finished product across oceans. We use end-of-lifecycle trees salvaged from the forest industry. These species are normally burnt or left to rot as they have no economic value. This means we do not use valuable farmland for the production of our raw materials , unlike the production of bio-plastics. We can also ensure that no GMO’s, pesticides, or fertilizers are used in the manufacturing of our product. Potato, and Corn Starch based cutlery compete with food crops for land and water use which are a factor in the rising cost of food. Our product is backyard compostable, meaning it turns into soil in an active composter in under 65 days. This has been tested at the Cedar Grove commercial composting centre in the Seattle area which requires it to compost under commercial condition in under 45 days. Typically bio-plastics do not compost to an organic standard as they leach chemicals as they breakdown. All materials used in the production of our cutlery are FDA approved; including the Kosher certified coating we put on the cutlery to eliminate the wood taste that is noticeable with other imported wooden cutlery products. We are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA). All product is sterilized.
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Media Kit July 15 2011.pdf

Press

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environmental policy ENVIRONMENTAL POLICYDoing What's Right For Family, Friends & Forests At Aspenware, we make planet & people friendly products such as wooden knives, forks and spoons. Wood is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable making it the material of choice for people today and for future generations. Our commitment to nature goes much deeper. We optimize the use of our wood and are developing products to create value from our surplus material. Our plant runs on hydro-electric power and our manufacturing processes emit minimal, if any, carbon. We are fully aware of our surroundings and strive to improve the community and environment in which we live and work. By building strong relationships with our community and forests we intend to become a leader in the production of planet friendly products. Aspenware believes in nature’s patent, not just because our products are laminated and curved like growth rings but because we believe in healthy and resilient ecosystems. Are we perfect? No! Are we going to improve? Absolutely! Our pledge is to continually strive to improve our environmental performance…and we will get better over time! “Doing what’s right for family, friends & forests” stands for the synergistic relationship that we believe should exist between people and nature. Take care with Aspenware.
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Green Glossary GREEN GLOSSARYBiodegradableProducts are considered to be biodegradable if they break down into water, carbon dioxide, and organic matter within six months. Depending on the material, the process can occur in different environments, including soils, compost sites, water treatment facilities, and marine environments. Many products that claim biodegradability actually require chemical agents to initiate the degrading process.CompostableCompostable is a step above biodegradable. Compostable products rapidly biodegrade and disintegrate, releasing valuable nutrients into the soil, without leaving behind any toxic residues. Renewable ResourceA renewable resource is one that can be continually reproduced. The time span for each raw material to “renew” itself can be annual, like a harvest, or as long as the human lifespan, such as timber.SustainableSustainable production meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.GMO’sGenetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species.
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Media Kit

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Enviromental Policy

Green Glossary

FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSIs Aspenware made with real wood?Yes, Aspenware is made with “real” wood. No artificial, fake wood, or fillers are used.What kind of wood is used to make Aspenware cutlery?Mostly paper birch (Betula papvrifera) but testing has proven that trembling aspen (Populus tremrubra) can be used.Other than wood, what else is used in making Aspenware cutlery?Aspenware is a laminated product so the two layers of wood are held together with an edible binding agent. Also, kosher confectioner’s glaze, most often used to coat candy, is applied to the product. It’s a food product and safe for consumption. That’s it — wood, edible binder and a confectioner’s glaze,— no nasty chemicals.Why is the end of the cutlery shiny and not the whole thing?The eating half of the cutlery cutting edge of the knife, fork tines and scooped portion of the spoon —is coated with the confectioner’s glaze to remove any wood taste. The glaze is shiny while the rest of the cutlery has a more natural sheen.Does Aspenware log trees?Aspenware uses logs from trees that were cut down during the normal operations of the softwood lumber industry such as spruce, pine, and fir. The birch was cut down and would have been left to rot, burned in slash piles or maybe cut up for firewood if we hadn’t bought it to make our cutlery. By diverting these trees Aspenware helps extend the life of their carbon sink.Does Aspenware create waste wood?Aspenware is currently in the process of figuring out how to best utilize wood that does not make it as cutlery. We are working towards our goal of zero waste!Does Aspenware cutlery smell and taste like wood?Yes and no. Birch and aspen don’t have a heavy wood smell or much of a taste. Think of the old wooden mixing spoons — they didn’t really have a wood smell or taste. Aspenware cutlery is much the same. Besides, our cutlery is coated with a confectioner’s glaze or, as we like to say it is “sugar coated” but without the calories.Is Aspenware cutlery re-usable?Sometimes, but it depends on usage. It can be used over the weekend and lightly cleaned, however Aspenware is intended for single use and was not designed to be put in a dishwasher or soaked in a sink for long periods of time.What’s the best way to dispose of Aspenware cutlery?Throw it in the compost pile! Aspenware is made of all natural products so disposal really isn’t an issue.How fast does Aspenware cutlery decompose?The decomposition study found that even under less than ideal conditions, Aspenware cutlery was approximately 33% decomposed after 45 days, and with proper management it was estimated to be totally broken down in 65 days. Further studies are being conducted and the results will be reported on our website. Is Aspenware cutlery like plastic cutlery?No, not at all, in fact we think it’s much better than plastic and believe it is the only truly sustainable alternative. Aspenware is made from wood, our fibre source is nature's renewable resource of short lived trees that are harvested at thier natural maturity just before they die off naturally , each piece is unique in color, hue and grain — the natural characteristics of the wood show through.
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