What Happens in Vegas… Becomes a Case Study in Sustainability
Las Vegas did its thing. Bright lights, long days, strong coffee, stronger opinions about compostable bags—and somehow, Eco Maven walked away standing upright, fully caffeinated, and holding a Best in Show – Sustainability award. Not bad for a couple of guys who packed a commercial food scrap dehydrator into a crate and hoped TSA wouldn’t ask too many questions.
We rolled into the National Grocers Association Show on Sunday around 1:00 p.m. to set up inside the Imperial Dade booth, where Eco Maven was proud to represent five of our vendor partners alongside roughly ten other manufacturers (yes, some heavy hitters). Booth setup quickly turned into a reunion tour—handshakes, laughs, and that familiar industry small talk that somehow turns into real business conversations by dessert.
That evening kicked off with a mixer alongside Imperial Dade reps and grocery operators, followed by dinner, drinks, and plenty of catching up with industry friends. Later, we joined a larger hosted dinner—about 40 people total—where vendors (including us) sat down with grocery chain owners and C-suite leaders. Filet mignon? Yes. Red wine? Absolutely. Serious conversations about sustainability, operations, and margins? Surprisingly… also yes.
Naturally, the night ended at the craps table. We lost a few bucks, gained a few laughs, and confirmed (again) that probability is undefeated.
Show Time
Monday was game on. We spent the day networking with Imperial Dade reps, grocery operators, and anyone curious enough to stop and ask, “So… what exactly do you guys do?” Short answer: we help grocers and foodservice operators make sustainability make sense.
We represented:
Clear and green home-compostable produce bags
Home-compostable cutlery, straws, paper hot & cold cups, and lids
Hypochlorous-acid-based disinfectants and detergents, plus Plant Envi and Produce Envi products designed to extend shelf life of flowers and produce by up to five days
Retail wave-top, flat-top, and handle bags made from virgin and 100% recycled resin
Commercial food scrap waste dehydrator that turns food waste into a soil amendment (usable for compost acceleration or livestock feed)
By Monday afternoon, we had pulled in a strong number of qualified leads and left the show floor feeling energized. Dinner that night was quieter—intentional—and we hit the pillow early like professionals who knew Day Two wasn’t going to take it easy on us.
Day Two: Awards, Applause, and Packing Crates
Tuesday brought more scheduled meetings, walk-up conversations, and then… a moment we didn’t exactly plan for.
Eco Maven was awarded Best in Show – Sustainability.
Cue a quick walk to the stage, a few thank-yous, some photos, and a very real reminder that people are paying attention when sustainability is done thoughtfully, practically, and without unnecessary fluff. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who voted and supported us.
After that, it was time to wrap things up—say our goodbyes, pack the crate (again, yes, the dehydrator), and point ourselves back home. We landed Tuesday night exhausted, energized, and already talking about next steps.
Despite everything Vegas threw at us, the week wasn’t over. Wednesday morning came fast—and we were right back at it.
But that… is another blog post. 😄