Bamboo Flatware
- Heat and stain resistant, won't impart or absorb flavors
- Lightweight, strong and long lasting
- Hand finished with top grade natural, food-safe wood oil
Frequently asked questions about Bamboo Utensils from To-Go Ware
Why bamboo?
There are so many great reasons to choose bamboo. First, it's beautiful. The delicate grain of bamboo, whether natural or amber-toned, makes it distinctive, refined, and enjoyable to eat with. Bamboo is extremely durable and can withstand a great deal of use without damage. It's stronger even than oak, and when laminated, bamboo is nearly as strong as soft steel. Bamboo doesn't swell or shrink as hardwoods do, and won't impart food flavors or staining.
Bamboo is not a tree-it's a grass, and it grows like one. Many species of bamboo can grow two feet or more a day. When it's harvested, it need not be replanted, because it will grow a new shoot from its extensive root system. So bamboo renews itself readily, unlike hardwood trees, which, once cut, are gone forever. Bamboo is an endlessly renewable resource.
It enhances the environment. Farmed bamboo stabilizes the earth with its roots, preventing erosion. It takes in greenhouse gasses and produces oxygen. In fact 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. It can also provide habitat for birds and animals.
It is extremely versatile. Used in everything from housing, to fiber, to food, bamboo is an extraordinary resource. It provides a long-lasting, non-petroleum based material that has endless applications for use.
Where are your utensils made?
Our bamboo utensils are sourced and made in China by a small cottage industry factory. The forest the bamboo is sourced from has been personally visited by our third party certifier and their audits assure us that the sourcing and harvesting is sustainable and that they employ fair labor practices.
Are the utensils made with glue?
No, our utensils are made of a single sheet of bamboo. There are over 1,000 species of bamboo, ranging from groundcover to giant bamboo. Specifically, there are two main types of bamboo, running (spreading) and clumping (non-spreading). The clumping bamboo is the larger of the two, and at the very least can have a stalk 4 1/2" in diameter, and this is the kind of bamboo used to make our utensils. We do not use the smaller bamboo so often found in indoor planters.
What is the finish on the bamboo utensils made of?
We use a top grade, natural, vegan, food-safe sealant on the utensils to further ensure their durability. The main ingredients in the sealant include Potassium Permanganate (a water-soluable salt, often used as a disinfectant); Acetic Acid (an organic, relatively weak acid that gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell, found universally in food stuffs, water and soil); Heptane (most frequently used an an oil repellant, distilled from the resin of the Jeffery Pine and the fruit of the Petroleum Nut Tree, a tree found in the Philippines); and Ethanol (sugar-based and most commonly used form of alcohol, used as a solvent of substances intended for human contact or consumption, including scents, flavorings, colorings and medicines).
Recent lab tests have shown that NO heavy metals were detected in the sealant, including lead, arsenic, mercury or chromium.
Can I take my utensils on a plane when I travel?
Yes, you can! No one carrying To-Go Ware has ever had a problem traveling with their gear. In fact our founder traveled with 50 sets of utensils in her suitcase and the only thing that got pulled was her shampoo!
Dimensions:
Materials: bamboo with a food grade oil
Care: Hand wash them with soap and water, but they will sustain the dishwasher.
Packaging: None
Made Responsibly in China
Company Details: The story of To-Go Ware began back in 1997 over a dish of ice cream in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
To-Go Ware's founder, Stephanie Bernstein, was then a college student at the University of Michigan, watching as "to-go" culture began to emerge and find its way into the practices of local businesses. After enjoying some ice-cream "for-here" with her sister, she found it disturbing that even though she had not left the establishment, she had still been served in "to-go" plastic, and was expected to throw away her dish and spoon. Inspired by the college students who diligently carried their reusable coffee mugs around with them, she believed you could encourage people to expand this practice and use more durable, reusable methods for food as well as beverage, allowing for on-the-go convenience while remaining responsible citizens of planet Earth.
Stephanie began envisioning ways to promote these products and tools, trying to determine what designs would provide the utmost functionality and ease. She spent years in the Natural Products industry, food service and wellness fields and all informed the development of To-Go Ware. Now, years later, watching these products and concepts come to fruition has never seemed more urgent, as we are all needing tools to become Solutionaries as our world faces many challenges ecologically.
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