The next time you order an iced tea or boba/bubble tea from your local café (or order plastic straws for your business), think about how that straw – as well as all the other disposable plastics – impacts the environment.
Right now, the United States alone uses an estimated 500 million straws every day.
KGPeco, a subsidiary of American KGP Inc., is on a mission to help eliminate plastics at cafés, bubble/boba tea shops, coffee shops, teahouses, restaurants and any other establishment that uses plastic straws and plastic cutlery.
KGPeco, which started in 2018 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, offers an innovative bamboo straw solution, and its parent company, American KGP Inc., has been serving cafés, restaurants and bakeries since 1979.
The company’s eco-friendly bamboo straws, in particular, were invented at a factory in Tawain that’s been studying the technology for more than 20 years.
What’s unique about these straws, compared to some other options on the market, is that they don’t get soggy. They hold up to whatever beverage that’s being consumed, whether it’s an iced oat-milk matcha latte or an oolong boba milk tea.
“Our straws are 100 percent home compostable, which means they melt away in the ground – even your backyard – in under six months,” said Jim Song, vice president of marketplace at KGPeco. “Bamboo plants can grow up to 30 inches a day in the right environments, so there’s very little risk to overuse. Bamboo is also naturally anti-bacterial, which makes it a great fit as a foodservice product. During use, they do not get soggy or bend uncontrollably, which makes them perfect for normal disposable use.”
Song said the straws will actually hold up for weeks. “As a test, we have put the straws in a cup of water for three weeks,” he revealed. “They do not dissolve or get soggy… but part of the eco magic is that they break down in the ground very quickly. Our straws break down in natural settings without the use of lab created environments.”
The bamboo straws from KGPeco are fairly new, as they’ve only been on the market since early 2019. Currently, about 2,000 businesses use these straws.
“One of our foodservice customers – Boba Guys – that we distribute for is a trailblazer in their use of eco disposables and requested that we help supply their stores with the world’s most eco-friendly straws,” noted Song. “From there, we have expanded our inventory to include other technology forward items and will continue to do so into the future.”
In addition to the straws, KGPeco offers eco-friendly bamboo cutlery, including forks, spoons, knives and sporks.
Will Eco Friendly Bamboo Straws Catch on at More Tea Cafés, Coffeehouses, etc.?
Why aren’t more boba tea shops – or other café’s and businesses – using environmentally friendly straws like these?
“Most of the time it’s due to the price,” said Song. “Our product is technologically one of the most advanced, and so it naturally costs more to develop and produce. But as more customers use our product, the costs will go down and allow other companies to jump aboard the eco train.”
Song added that some of the pushback on eco-friendly straws and other typically-plastic items is due to lack of local government regulation. “Of course, plastic straws are more tasteless and smoother, so the stores just want to keep using their plastic straws until the laws change to motivate them to be more environmentally friendly,” he said.
When Song and his team reach out to tea café’s, boba shops, restaurants and other food and beverage businesses, they get a good reaction.
“At first they love it,” said Song. “They love that it won’t get soggy and that it will actually work. However, when they discover the price, it’s a tougher decision for them to make.”
Song pointed out that the first of the three R’s of sustainability is reduce (the others are reuse and recycle). “We want to reduce the amount of plastics being used,” he said. "As a highly disposed product around the world, straws don’t need to last 500 years, but it can’t last just 10 to 20 minutes.”
Bamboo straws, said Song, reduce the amount of plastics being used while also being able to hold up in a drink for much longer than a person needs to drink it.
“You could even go a step further by ordering another drink and use the same straw from drink number one to number two, three, four, five and on,” he shared. “It won’t get soggy. The straw is technically reusable, but we don't market it that way officially.”
Song explained that compostability is key for café items like single-use straws. “Recycling isn’t as effective because customers aren’t as educated about what is recyclable,” he said. “On top of that, straws are thin and always fall through the cracks and almost never make it all the way to a recycling facility. It's also important because of its biodegradability. It contains only plant matter, zero plastics, which means when it's thrown in the trash, compost or, in some cases, end, up on the side of the road or on dirt, the straw will break down naturally into plant fibers. Like a leaf that has fallen from a tree, the straws break down in a similar process.”
Solving the Plastic Issue at Cafés Around the Globe
Song said they can't solve every plastic issue at a tea café or other foodservice business, but here’s one solid solution for them and anyone using straws.
“Plastic straws will be around for 500 years and continue to pollute our animals, environments and our food,” he said. “That’s really not what we want as a society.”
The issue here is that businesses are concerned about their bottom line, said Song. “Straws and cutlery are given out as complimentary utensils,” he explained. “Some customers want two or three straws for one drink or meal. Combined with the higher price, a business can quickly prefer cheaper options. But there are a growing number of businesses that are willing to absorb the cost of eco-disposables.”
In the end, according to Song, businesses will change as local municipalities change and enforce sustainability laws. At the same time, allocating funds to help small businesses make the switch to eco-disposables is equally as important.
“Not having straws at a business that serves iced drinks is giving a less than satisfactory experience,” Song noted. “Especially at more high-end cafes, restaurants, etc., customers who do not have straws for their drinks can find sipping from the cup or sipper lid inconvenient. We have the most eco-friendly straw and cutlery options that are scalable to a global level. Our products are truly home compostable. Our disposables break down in natural conditions. There are many eco-friendly disposable options out on the market that they may not have heard of yet, but they should consider using bamboo fiber for the environment and for their customer’s satisfaction.”
To learn more about KGPeco, visit KGPeco.com.
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