Sustainable food packaging business Little Green Panda has secured a strategic investment from Everkind, a new sustainable investment vehicle established by Queensland-based Shawparth Food & Packaging, in a major step for the scale-up’s global growth plans.
The investment comes just months after the Melbourne-based Little Green Panda secured an international distribution deal with Eight Ounce Coffee, Canada's largest coffee distributor.
The company says the Everkind investment is the next step to procuring new distributors globally from the inbound leads the company has received.
Founded in 2020 by Manon Beauchamp-Tardieu, Little Green Panda started making strides in the café sector with its range of single-use coffee cups and cutlery that can decompose "as quickly as a piece of fruit" when thrown in the trash.
The business has grown dramatically since then with the company now supplying major events and securing partnerships with food and beverage brands.
The level of investment secured from Everkind has not been disclosed, but the move builds on Shawparth’s growth strategy which has included the acquisitions of bakery specialist SQ Packaging in 2020 and pizza box specialist Lida Trading a year later.
Little Green Panda was launched by Beauchamp-Tardieu with a single signature product - soggy-free straws made from sugar cane.
The company later expanded its range to include coffee cups and disposable coffee cutlery made from biodegradable alternatives to plastic that are produced from agricultural waste.
While the straws are produced from sugar cane, the cups are made from plant puree and the cutlery from coffee grounds collected from cafes.
The investment from Everkind is seen as a major step in scaling Little Green Panda’s plans to transform the packaging industry with “genuinely compostable, plant-based, innovative and cost-effective solutions”.
“I started Little Green Panda with a simple belief that packaging should be designed to disappear,” says Beauchamp-Tardieu.
“With Everkind behind us, we can accelerate real change on a global scale while staying true to who we are as a brand.
“Everkind’s belief in our mission gives us incredible momentum, and we are so excited for what this next chapter will bring.”
Shawparth Food & Packaging, a family-owned business, was founded in Brisbane by Juan Parthenides in 2006 as a distributor of food packaging products initially for the pizza industry.
The company is now Australia’s largest supplier of Australian-made and recyclable pizza cartons, while it also has diversified into cleaning products and wholesale food supply.
Little Green Panda says it chose Everkind for its “long-term, values-aligned approach to investment”, adding that with the mindset of a family-led business the investor will offer “support without restricting agility”.
“They are here to provide true support - capital, infrastructure and mentorship, without hampering our ambitions,” says Little Green Panda in a statement.
Little Green Panda has grown its customer base beyond the café market to supply major events such as the Australian F1 Grand Prix, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Lexus Melbourne Cup, as well as brands such as IMAX Cinemas, Wendy’s.
The company has also collaborated with fast growing beverage brands Bobby, Bae Juice, Dash Water and Remedy Drinks, while a retail range has been launched into independent supermarkets Romeo’s and Drakes.
“With Everkind’s backing, we are supercharging our supply chain,” says Little Green Panda.
“We now have access to massive logistical and procurement muscle, ensuring more reliable supply for customers across hospitality, retail and distribution channels and faster access to our latest sustainable innovations.”
Little Green Panda says following the investment it will continue to operate as an independent company, while remaining “channel agnostic” by supporting all existing distributors and partners.
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