March 8 2023 is a momentous day for TwentyFifty. We’re so excited to be just 1 of 10 finalists selected to participate in the action-filled PitchSlam at the Natural Products ExpoWest show in Anaheim, California. ExpoWest is the USA’s largest annual gathering of organic and natural brands in foods, supplements, cosmetics, health and wellness. Basically it’s a must-see for people across America who are plugged-in and care about the health of their bodies and the planet. And PitchSlam is when ten of the hottest companies get to pitch their products to an audience of 1000 people! Approximately 300 companies applied and TwentyFifty was proud to be chosen because of their outstanding innovation in replacing plastics in tableware.

Under the bright lights and live internet feed, we gave PitchSlam our best 3 minutes, explaining our brand new injection molding process, our 14-day composting challenge, and how our products form part of a circular economy and regenerative agriculture loop. Questions from the audience asked about how TwentyFifty compared to bioplastics such as CPLA, and what would be needed to promote adoption of our technologies. Our spokesperson emphasized the importance of national and legislation mandating businesses to adoption of plastic alternatives, such as France’s recent ban on single-use plastics. President Biden’s original Build Back Better plan contained a provision for a tax on plastic resins, which would help to level the playing field in pricing of plastic utensils vs. compostables.

All in all, it was a great start to ExpoWest, and when we eturned to our booth in the Hot Products Hall, we found our booth mobbed by folks interested in reducing plastic waste. Over the next few days, we received interest from executives from major US food giants like McDonalds, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market, and others. What a great way to kick off the launch of TwentyFifty’s exciting new generation of product line!