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Verterra: The Dinnerware that Makes You Feel Good To Entertain

By: Anna288 Comments

Verterra eco-plates and bowls
Classic Verterra bowls and plates. Check out Verterra giveaway!

I love to entertain and believe in the motto, the more people, the better.However, my love of entertaining has always clashed with my environmental side since I had to use paper plates.Who has service for over 20?


What about biodegradable plates, you might ask? Unfortunately, there is no commercial composter near me where I can dispose of them. My backyard composter is just too small. So, what is a party girl supposed to do?


Verterra to the rescue!These stylish plates and bowls are not only reusable, eco-friendly, but they make a handsome table top statement as well. The dishes are made of 100% renewal and compostable fallen leaves and water, and best of all, do not contain any chemicals, waxes, dyes or harmful toxins.


How do these plates hold it together?The Company simply applies steam, heat and pressure to the fallen leaves to create this disposable dinnerware, which will naturally biodegrade in two months. According to the Company, you can throw them right into the composter.Don’t have a composter?No worries.They will decompose in a landfill.


That’s not all, folks.Verterra tableware are fair trade products as well. All products are made in South Asia where their employees receive a fair wage, work in safe conditions and have access to health care.

Michael Dwork, CEO of Verterra

How did Verterra come to be? The Company is the brainchild of environmentalist, 30’s ish Michael Dwork.While doing an internship in India, he encountered a woman pressing water soaked leaves into a make shift waffle iron.She thereupon pulled out the plate and used it to serve food she was selling.It was an epiphany for Dwork and he spent the rest of his summer and his business school years at Columbia University MBA program refining Verterra’s dinnerware.


How many of you are germ-phobic?It is okay to admit it.We are all friends here.I know some of you are wondering if these plates are sterile. When the leaves are brought to the Company’s owned factory, they are sprayed with high pressure water, steamed, and then UV sterilized.Go ahead and use the plates right away. No need to wash them before use.

Verterra plates after being washed
Ones to the left were washed. The ones to the right were never washed.

The plates are intended for single use, but I have used my plates several times.I clean them with soap and water.The plates end up looking a little wobbly, but I put a couple of apples on them to serve as paper weights to flatten them again.


Oven, microwaves and freezers do not scare these dishes. According to the Company, it is safe to put the plates in the microwave for two minutes or in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.You can even store food on them in the fridge or freezer. Talk about hard working dishes!

Pizza stained Verterra plates

Think these plates are too good to be true?They are, except one problem.They stain.Other reviews I read said that the plates stained for tomato sauce or ketchup.Mine did not when I put ketchup and tomato sauce on them.Perhaps, I am too obsessive and wash my dishes too quickly after we are done eating.However, pizza oil stained them.(See picture above.) Beets will also stain the plates.

Verterra eco hexagon plates
Verterra hexagon plates

The Company offers their classic line of 6” hexagon bowl ($7.99/8 pack or $43/for 100), 6 by 9” plate (8.99/8 and $43/100) 7” round bowl ($8.99/12) and 9” square plates ($9.99/8 and $50/100.)

signature plates

In addition, the new Signature line, which can be pre-ordered for delivery in March, 2009, is a sleeker adaptation of the classic line.The plates and bowls come in various sizes ranging form 4 by 4 to 12 by 12 for holiday belt loosening eating.The bowls come in either 6 by 8 or 8 by 8 sizes. Dwork is obviously a party animal himself, since he has left no rock unturned on this alternatives tableware.Verterra also sells platter ranging in size from 7 by 8.5 to 14 by 16, which you can easily fit a roast on. The Signature Line‘s prices vary, and some of the lines can be bought in bulk quantities up to 300 dishes.


Future plans for the Company?A newer seamless e-commerce site and undisclosed distributors will be selling the plates. The web site will have a store locator for your nearest distributor.

Super Bowl and Valentine’s is right around the corner. Even the NBA All Star Weekend VIP party and NFL Super Bowl VIP party chose Verterra’s dinnerware for their parties.How about you?


Even Martha Stewart would love these stylish plates! Compostable, nontoxic, stylish, and Fair Trade.What is not to love?


In fact, Verterra has been kind enough to offer the following tableware to one lucky Green Talk reader:

(4x) 6″ Square
(4x) 10″ Square
(4x) Bowl
(2x) 7″ Tray


In order to enter the giveaway contest, you must live in the US or Canada, and be 18 or older and follow the rules below:

•Leave me a comment here as to your favorite party food or dish (green or otherwise). If you don’t have one, just say so.

•To double your chances of winning the dishes, consider joining my Ning Forum. Come back and leave a comment that you joined my forum.

•To triple your chances consider joining my Feedburner email list or subscribe to my RSS feed. Both subscriptions are listed on the upper left hand column. Be sure to come back and leave a comment to tell me which one you joined.

•To quadruple your chances of winning, twitter about this contest and come back and leave the url (weblink) of your twitter comment.

•You must enter by February 9, 2009, 6 PM EST time to win.

•A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.  Good Luck everyone!

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and .

Comments

  2. 2

    Patricia Hill says

    I love serving what I call Fritto Pie. It is a make your own dish. Start with a bed of Frittos. Pile on chili, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, olives, jalapenas

    Reply
  10. 11

    Kay Z says

    My favorite party food would be a cheese selection with an assortment of seasonal fruit!! something to please everyone!!

    Reply
  13. 14

    Lissa says

    Favorite party food to make: Guacamole (fresh organic Florida Avocados are fantastic!) Of course, hearty corn chips and hoppy ale compliment the guac!

    I joined both the Ning Forum and Feedburner.

    The dinnerware is a fantastic idea!

    Reply
  14. 15

    Shay says

    I need this product – it is the perfect solution for my guilty conscience everytime we have guests throwing paper plates away! Thank you for this great invention.

    My favorite party food is pesto/goat cheese dip

    Reply
  27. 28

    Anne says

    I’m a member of the Ning Forum. Not sure what email I joined under its either Nancy or anne.

    Thanks

    (Editor’s note: Anne, I deleted your emails in the comments so you are not spammed. I see you joined the Ning!! Yay!! The more the better! Keep it rolling, people… Anna)

    Reply
  33. 34

    Sonja Russo says

    My favorite company dish is chili and tacos. These plates are fantastic. My fiance really goes through the paper plates, and I hate them. These would be a great alternative. Good luck to everyone.

    Reply
  36. 37

    JAMES says

    an assortment of fruits and veggies. radishes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, grapes, mango slices, cherries, green onions, sliced yellow, red, and green peppers, and a simple low fat dip. heart healthy and green. no meat here please.

    Reply
  43. 44

    Ilene says

    Roasted Red Pepper and Arugula Rollups. They need to be made hours ahead of time so they don’t interfere with the time just before guests arrive. They are a bit unique and people really like them. Interesting dinnerware!

    Reply
  55. 56

    Pat says

    Verterra is my new favorite party serving dish. For past parties I’ve served dips in hollowed-out bread bowls (I save the insides for other recipes). After we finish the dips we eat the bowls.

    Thanks for the contest.

    Reply
  64. 65

    Crystal Davidson says

    My favorite party food is meringues. If you have a mixer, sugar and eggs – you can make this tasty treat. I like mine with peppermint oil and a few chocolate chips. The best thing is no cooking! You just warm the oven to 250, pop in your meringues, go to bed and wake up to tasty treats. I bet they would be GREAT in these dishes!

    Reply
  65. 66

    Lynne B says

    Our favourite “game day” meal is a souped up plate of Nachos with taco flavoured ground beef, jalapenos, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, refried beans & more cheese baked in the oven on a pizza tray! Yum!!

    Reply
  69. 70

    Colleen S says

    my favorite party food is a salsa with corn, mango, chilis and black beans. It is so unexpected and refreshing, I always get tons of compliments on it.

    Reply
  84. 85

    vina pereira says

    I love the unique colors and the shape of the set -can be used for so many different dishes, including appetizers etc.

    Reply
  96. 97

    mary says

    well they look great, we need more people making stuff like that for us who want to go out and save the world~ GO Green~

    Reply
  102. 103

    Dave says

    Certainly not the healthiest party food, but I love pizza! It’s too bad these plates stain. They are much too nice to use once and throw away. Thank you for the chance to win.

    Reply
  108. 109

    Sonny says

    Center piece must have is a huge tray of veggies with about six dips. (didn’t say it was healthy) And another try of fruit and cheese.

    Reply
  114. 115

    sally wess says

    one of my fav dishes is new mexican and it’s green chili stew
    hot and just enough spice to give it such a good flavor.

    Reply
  115. 116

    Emily G says

    What a great product! My favorite party food is homemade chips and guacamole. Cut corn tortillas into strips and fry them, and then mash up an avocado and add onion, garlic, and a little cilantro. Yum!

    Reply
  123. 124

    C. flanigan says

    Wow, your dishes are just lovely! Great prize. My favorite party food for the past couple of months is FONDUE! I am literally bringing it back in style with my family and friends. My old fondue pot was collecting dust in my basement, so I put it in our tag sale and no one even looked at it. My husband told me he used to love when we had cheese fondue and chocolate fondue, so I decided to keep it. And are we glad we did! Now this spring when we go to tag sales I will be hunting for fondue pots for my three adult children. They are big fans!

    Reply
  146. 147

    Christina Willeford says

    I absolutely am IN LOVE with all of this dinnerware! It is unique, and even better that it is green!
    My favorite dish (as stated by friends and family!) is home made chicken and dumplings. It is a must at every family get-together and work pot-luck!

    Reply
  157. 158

    jessi says

    okay so i love what your doing with the dinnerware i am getting ready to move out w/ my bf and have been trying to talk him into square plates hes been saying no but i think he might go for yours plus were kind of hippies so the fact that they are green is def plus

    Reply
  158. 159

    Allison Morrison says

    Favorite party food – Mom’s BBQ Sandwiches – and they’re just as good with Soy Grillers or Chik’n strips as Beef & Pork

    Reply
  168. 169

    Traci says

    Usually veggie platters are really unpopular at parties, but with my mom’s secret dip recipe, the veggies are always the first to go! It’s my favorite dish to bring and eat at a party 🙂

    Reply
  171. 172

    Dulcy Freeman says

    Favorite party food: smoked tuna dip!!! Cheaper (made with canned tuna) and really better than salmon. Really!!

    Reply
  180. 181

    MARILOUISE says

    I dont have a favorite dish but as a frequent disposable plate (recycled paper) I would love to find one that is durable.

    Reply
  185. 186

    dawn says

    My favorite party dish that everyone loves is thin sliced ham with cream cheese spread on it wrapped around a dill pickle cut in half. The combo of these is wonderful.

    Reply
  207. 208

    Renee C. says

    My mother-in-law is strictly a Deviled Egg bringer, my mother plays the casserole game for any event. I am a baker. I bring cupcakes or cookies or brownies. My kids think its great but I DO wish to broaden my reportoire.

    Reply
  228. 229

    Auriette says

    I love VerTerra’s Party Perfect Trays. This is a really awesome idea and they are so nice looking and unique. My favorite food at a party is devilled eggs. Simple and basic, I know, but I can’t get enough of ’em.

    Reply
  233. 234

    Christy Bednarsky says

    These plates are so cool! My favorite party food would have to be hummous and pita bread (with all kinds of yummy toppings and drizzled with olive oil on top)

    Reply
  237. 238

    Lee Taylor says

    Thanks for the ‘awesome’ giveaway offering! And my favorite party dish is my home-made ‘Chicago-styled deep-dish pizza!’

    Reply
  239. 240

    christina singer says

    I make these little phyllo shells with sauteed mushrooms, panccetta and swiss cheese filling. they are so yummy and so fancy looking, but really easy to make. always a big hit at parties.

    Reply
  240. 241

    Jessica L. says

    My favorite party food is any kind of fattening dip. Artichoke dip, buffalo wing dip, taco dip, swiss almond dip, those all ring my bell!!

    Reply
  245. 246

    Ruth says

    No signature dish here. Just depends on the occasion or theme of the party. I don’t discriminate against any kind of food, but like to serve people with discriminating taste.

    Reply
  250. 251

    Ingrid says

    These dishes are absolutely beautiful. Sure would look nice on my table at my next gathering. My favorite party food would be Hot Wings that I make.

    Reply
  257. 258

    MELINDA Smith says

    my is favorite is spiniche dip inside round sour dough bread,and the bread pieces for dipping into it.You are left with no dishes to clean,too.

    Reply
  259. 260

    Jennifer Schroeder says

    I can’t think of a party food that I don’t like! Deviled eggs have been my favorite since I was a kid.

    Reply
  270. 271

    Tony Slawson says

    My fav dish for a party:
    My homemade guac of course.
    You need dice the following and just mix them together in any order or all at once.
    6-8 ripe avo
    4 huge tablespoons sour cream
    2 pinch of reg salt, garlic salt, blk peper, chili pepper, chili powder, cummin
    1 large lemon- cut and squeeze out juice but not seed
    2-4 large crisp red toms
    1 big teaspoon of mild/hot salsa
    After all mixed reaaly well, place in choice of serving dish and top with a bit of sour cream, a sprinkle of garlic salt and blk pepper, and a little spread/sprikle of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
    This guac rulz!
    MY RECIPE TOO!!LOL

    Reply
  276. 277

    Green Talk says

    Congradulations to Keith for winning the contest. I loved, loved your responses. So many of you choose a dip or pizza. Tony Slawson even gave us a complete recipe!

    I wish I could offer the plates to all of you. Keep checking back. I have some fun dog giveaways coming down the pike, LED light, and filters made out of recycled materials. Anna

    Reply
    • 279

      Green Talk says

      Penny, welcome aboard! I have lot of great green giveaways and the other part of the site…you know the tip part…well, it isn’t too shabby either. (LOL) But the best feature of Green Talk is its readers and contributors, so don’t hesitate to add your 2 cents in to the article. Every comment is welcomed. Anna

      Reply
  278. 280

    RVHG says

    The article is written as though Michael Dwork or Verterra invented the idea of making plates from leaves, and as though the poor Indian woman was just the helpless apple that fell onto young Newton’s mind. Leaf plates are very common in all parts of India, and have been for centuries. Just go to a Hindu temple in South India, and see what they serve the holy offerings (or prasad) in? It will be a plate or cup made of dried leaves.

    If mass producing such wares is Mr. Dwork’s claim to fame, even there he is not the first. Many Indian companies have been producing such wares for a longer time than Mr. Dwork ever visited India. Just google for “Areca Leaf Plates” and you will know how many Indian companies have been producing what Mr. Dwork apparently spent his entire MBA program “inventing”.

    If you are interested in getting the same products for a fraction of the cost, just direct order from those companies.

    Reply
    • 281

      Green Talk says

      RVHG, Michael states that he saw a woman making the plate which inspired him to create a company around the idea. No one said he invented the plate idea.

      Thanks for the tip of other companies making the same product. Any suggestions? Anna

      Reply

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