50 Great Ideas 2024
A sustainable straw springs from tequila making
The Sustainable Agave Company makes eco-friendly drinking straws from agave plants discarded in tequila making.
50 Great Ideas 2024
Putting waste to work
Chef Jonathan Pye, VP of Culinary for American Dining Creations, is a master at turning trash into cash.
Dave’s Hot Chicken had a problem. It wanted to upgrade its line of shakes, which had been traditional vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, with toppings like Oreo. But it didn’t want to require franchisees to buy a $3,000 mixer or blender. So the company introduced Top-Loaded Shakes, giving customers the option of topping those shakes with crushed Oreos and M&M’s and, more recently, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The toppings cost an additional $2 per shake. Customers get something extra, the franchisor gets a bit of additional revenue that is easy and profitable for franchisees. Win-win-win.