U.S. company to procure one billion arecanut palm leaf plates from Agrileaf factory at Nidle in Dakshina Kannada Karnataka

Consumers in the U.S. prefer biodegradable plates made from arecanut palm trees because ‘it feels solid and feels like real plate’.

Michael Dwork, founder of VerTerra Dinnerware, a biodegradable dinnerware company in New York, said that consumers in the U.S. prefer to purchase bio leaf plate made from fallen leaves of arecanut palm trees because ‘it feels solid and feels like real plate’.

Interacting with mediapersons in Mangaluru on August 30, he said that his company intends to procure one billion arecanut palm leaf plates manufactured at Agrileaf Factory of Agrileaf Exports Private Limited at Barangaya, in Nidle village near Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, in the next three years. VerTerra Dinnerware is the business partner of Agrileaf.

VerTerra Dinnerware procured 70 million plates from Agrileaf in 2022.

“The cost of arecanut palm leaf plate is not cheap in the U.S. Cheaper bio plates are available. But consumers prefer arecanut plam leaf plate because of its quality and durability. It looks beautiful and is environment friendly. It is a good value proposition,” he said.

Mr. Dwork said that his company has been procuring plates from Agrileaf for four years. In this period, VerTerra Dinnerware would have procured about 3.5 crore plates (or about 100 containers) from Agrileaf.

Avinash Rao, co-founder and chief executive officer of Agrileaf Exports Private Limited, said, “Production capacity will go up from 50,000 plates to one lakh plates a day as Agrileaf is going for automation and upgradation of equipment. Normally, three plates of different sizes can be made from one leaf.”

Athishaya M. Jain, co founder of Agrileaf Exports Private Limited, said, “We pay ₹3 per leaf to farmers.”