Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeannine Davison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jeannine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

We make a fully biodegradable edible cup. It’s a single-use container that disrupts conventional thinking about compostability.

What does that mean? Our cup can be composted in 7.8 billion locations around the world – the human digestive system. This is a critical distinction because all other compostable options require a specialized facility to break the material down under high heat for several months. If traditional paper cups don’t find their way to these industrial locations for processing, they end up in landfill, requiring more than 20 years to break down.

The other thing we do differently, is our cups are made from recovered food waste. We divert spent brewer’s grains from landfill and upcycle them in a food-safe way to be used as one of the main ingredients in our cups. Not only are these grains nutritious and delicious, but they’re now given a second life by becoming part of the food stream again.

Jeannine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in Minnesota and have always loved gardening and experimenting with food since as far back as I can remember. I’ve never been afraid to try new things and this adventurous spirit is prevalent in the way I cook and approach my work life. After getting an engineering degree from the University of WI and a USC MBA, I spent 20 years in Los Angeles as an executive in entertainment technology. It was an exciting time filled with lots of challenges, but I felt disconnected from my Minnesota roots and missed being part of a close knit community. A few years ago, I moved to Carlsbad with my husband and son to be closer to my parents and create a lifestyle that would fill this desire.

In early 2020 I was still consulting in the entertainment industry when a vacationing friend sent a picture of an edible cup he tried in Norway. My husband and I were fascinated by this and asked ourselves, “why haven’t we seen these in the states?” We felt it was a great single-use alternative and that there was huge market potential but neither one of us had any experience in the food industry. We decided to put our consulting jobs aside for one month and learn all we could about where the cups were made and how we might go about bringing them to the U.S. During that month we had a crash course in FDA regulations, importing, negotiations with a Bulgarian manufacturer, and food resale certification. At every turn, there was someone willing to help us open another door so we decided to keep going. We formed AMAI (Japanese for “unexpected pleasant surprise”), and the name is an homage to my long career at Panasonic, frequently traveling to Japan.

In early 2020, we began importing and distributing edible cups in the United States. People were amazed by the concept of a cup you could eat and enjoy, or compost, and we gained popularity with caterers, cafes, and health food stores.

However, the product stopped short of being truly eco-friendly. Shipping goods from across the globe was expensive, unreliable, and not great for the environment. Also, using virgin grains to make the cups seemed wasteful when sometimes people only took one or two bites before tossing it into the compost bin. We had heard about the process of upcycling spent grains and this got us thinking. What if we could make an edible cup using recovered grain from local breweries? I immediately started baking trials in my kitchen using a waffle cone maker. After a lot of experimentation and testing, I was satisfied with the formulation and it was time to test it out in a real food production lab. The end result? Our recipe and process produced cups that out performed any other in heat tolerance, break-resistance, and nutrition. We approached our partner in Bulgaria with the idea and they weren’t interested. Feeling discouraged, we were now faced with having to make it ourselves.

But one doesn’t just go out and purchase cup making equipment and we learned that the only viable solution was to have something custom built in Austria by one of the largest food production equipment companies in the world. Yes, a much greater capital investment than we ever imagined, but we managed to raise the money and build a small test production facility in Vista, CA, using the custom designed machine.

We’ve test marketed over 30,000 cups in 17 state, in a variety of applications, and are now commissioning a high-volume production line to expand our capacity and meet growing demand. Our innovative solution to reducing single-use waste allows clients to differentiate and offer their customers a unique experience. Coffee shops and caterers are creating specialty menu items that are designed around the cup’s nutty, crispy, profile. It’s really rewarding to see all the creative ways customers are using the cups.

I think one of the things we are most proud of is we have attracted so many talented people who have volunteered their expertise to help us get things off the ground simply because they loved the idea and they believed in us. It’s honestly this kind of validation that has kept me going when I felt discouraged, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted! When people believe in you, it gives you the fuel to keep going.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe we’ve been able to build a strong reputation in the market simply by be open and honest about exactly where we were at with the product at any given time. Because most of our customers came on board during the prototype phase, they were with us as we were figuring things out along the way – as the product and company evolved. We have always been very appreciative of our customer’s willingness to be part of the learning curve and stick around through growing pains whether that be product shortages, reworking the packaging design to prevent broken cups during transit, or simple things like getting our invoicing procedures established.

We dedicate a lot of effort to maintaining good relationships with not only our customers but also suppliers, consultants, and advisors of Amai. So many people have graciously offered their time to help us launch this business and we never forget that we couldn’t have done it without them!

At the end of the day, we consistently deliver a quality product that is so unique, word of mouth has been a huge contributor to building a solid reputation. Our customers love that the edible cup allows them to differentiate, offering their customers a unique experience, while also helping them to achieve their sustainability goals..

Any advice for managing a team?

I think the best way to maintain high morale amongst a team is to get people involved. Most people are happy when they feel informed and believe that they have some say in the things that affect them. It’s important to manage expectations when you lead this way though. Running a successful business is not a democracy. So people have to feel encouraged and empowered enough to speak up, but know that this doesn’t mean every idea can or should be implemented.

It’s especially important to share information and get input during difficult times – pending layoffs, change in company direction or leadership, etc. While sometimes it’s not possible to disclose things that are confidential in nature, it makes it easier on everyone if information is shared as soon as you’re cleared to do so. There’s no quicker way to squash morale than the rumor mill. Being open and honest is always the best policy and goes a long way for gaining the trust and respect of the team, ultimately leading to higher morale and job satisfaction.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amai.earth
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amai.earth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amaiediblecups
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannine-davison-21360284/

Image Credits
Urban Backyard NYC, Better Me, Le Sandy Sorbet, Sandra Cavender.