ABOUT TANBARK

• Tanbark is a Type 3 Moulded Fibre packaging startup. It designs and manufactures Tanbark Molded Fiber, a range of premium packaging solutions for multiple industries, including food, beauty, medical equipment, and electronics, as well as protective, secondary, and single-use packaging.

• The privately held company was founded in April 2021 by husband and wife duo Melissa and Christopher LaCasse. It is based in Maine, US.

• Tanbark has developed a first-to-market set of machinery that can run automated and modular production lines. The process involves mixing the pulp with water to produce a 'slurry', moulding it in a former head, and refining the moulds using heat and pressure. The new machines open the market to smaller volume orders.

• The company's machines are plant agnostic, meaning that clients can experiment with a range of fibres like Hemp and Miscanthus to reduce the industry's reliance on tree fibres. It will begin production with FSC-certified virgin Wood fibre, whose long strands offer the most versatility, and source its material locally from sustainably harvested forests in Maine. About 90% of Maine is forested, the highest percentage of any state in the US.

• According to co-founder and CEO Melissa LaCasse, the process is not water intensive due to its closed-loop water system. The startup is planning to install solar and battery energy feedstocks on site to operate the machinery on renewable sources.

• Tanbark has also invented a compact machine that can be installed on site, delivering "smaller runs, speed, agility, and customisation with a capacity to scale". The machine can be used as a tool to conduct green chemistry experiments and trial pulp recipes.

• Tanbark’s production lines can handle smaller volume runs, minimising barriers to entry (like tooling costs), and can scale from low to high. It offers added flexibility in terms of design, colour, material architecture, and embossing to achieve "a really high-end look".

• LaCasse says that Tanbark Molded Fiber is "highly recyclable [with Paper] and doesn't bioaccumulate like plastic". The company is working towards recyclability and home compostability certifications.

• The company is set to commence commercial production in July 2023, and will be increasing its lines as it scales. It has already secured partnerships with a high-end food chain and grocery retailer in the US, among others. 

• LaCasse stated that the company's initial objective is to make moulded fibre packaging accessible to "companies that don't have access because of minimum order quantities or tooling costs, or the need for something other than a brown box". As it scales, the company hopes to innovate and "push the limit, and take over more and more of what plastic can do, avoiding the use of harmful coatings and chemicals".

• Tanbark was one of five startups selected for the Roux Institute's 2022 Founder Residency, and was awarded a USD 25,000 grant to support its development. In June 2022, the company won the Gorham Savings Bank LaunchPad competition, receiving a USD 50,000 cash injection. To date, Tanbark has earned more than USD 1 million in grants.

• In 2022, the startup raised USD 1.7 million in pre-seed funding to support its initial phase of growth. It recently raised USD 1.5 million in seed funding.

• The company employs eight full-time staff, and aims to create 50 manufacturing jobs in three years.