Food Storage For A Healthier Planet
By Micah Cheek
Concern for the environment is motivating consumers to choose reusable containers over the traditional plastic bags. Companies like U-Konserve are accommodating the trend with a wide range of earth-friendly washable containers and other waste-free solutions.
U-Konserve is an Arizona company focused on selling leak-proof lunch kits, containers, reusable food wraps, recycled lunch totes, glass bottles, and accessories made with a focus on preserving the environment. The company, originally called Kids Konserve, was founded in 2008, when Lynn Julian and cofounder Chance Claxton noticed the difference between their respective childrens’ school lunch programs. One school had a strict packaging waste policy, while the other did not. Kids Konserve began with products designed to reduce lunch waste for kids. The first kit consisted of metal tins and BPA-free plastic food wraps. “At the time, BPA was getting a lot of press, people weren’t wanting to use plastics,” says Julian. Along with these first products came an initiative called the Waste Free Challenge, to encourage school waste reduction. When schools take part in the Challenge, U-Konserve offers a discount on their products to the parents of schoolchildren. “It’s not a huge revenue generator, its purpose is to educate,” says Julian. “Then we will provide support to them.”
As Kids Konserve grew, Julian and Claxton began hearing that more and more teens and adults were beginning to use their products, designed for children, and were looking for a greater variety of options. To accommodate the greater interest, the company soon expanded its line into home storage containers and changed its name to U-Konserve. “It was a very natural outgrowth of what we were doing,” says Julian. “People liked our storage but they were saying, ‘We want larger sizes, so we can put leftovers in it.’” One big shift was to make containers from glass as well as metal. “One of the main reason for the glass [is that] customers wanted microwavable,” says Julian. Glass bakeware and storageware is now offered, with colorful silicone sleeves. The silicone sleeve is designed to protect the glass from bumps and drops, and make handling easier when the containers are hot.
Even as U-Konserve has expanded into other types of food storage, the beginning of the school year is still the products’ strongest season, though the addition of home containers and other products has rounded out the portfolio and delivers more consistent sales throughout the year. ”We have put a lot of time and energy into our lines, rather than spending money on a ton of different products,” says Julian. “You’re not going to be seeing anything crazy new, but you will be seeing new sizes and colors.”
A recent accomplishment has been getting U-Konserve B Corporation certified. The B Corporation certification, given to businesses that meet standards of social and environmental accountability, is difficult to attain and represents U-Konserve’s efforts to solve environmental problems through the business.
Since U-Konserve’s journey began, the founders have seen more companies following suit with alternatives to wasteful disposable packaging. Julian welcomes new environmentally-conscious businesses, seeing a successful future for the environmentally friendly market. “Based on all of our research, I really see it increasing,” says Julian. “[It] makes us very glad that people have jumped on the bandwagon, that the trend is moving towards reusable food storage.”
