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Melissa LaCasse is the co-founder and CEO of Tanbark Molded Fiber Products, a sustainable packaging startup she runs from a North Yarmouth office on the upper floor of a barn. As Tanbark sets up manufacturing in Saco, Mainebiz caught up with the Gorham Savings Bank LaunchPad 2022 business-pitch contest winner to find out more about the company, whose nautical-themed name pays homage to using a natural process to solve a problem in a sustainable way.
Mainebiz: What’s the inspiration behind Tanbark?
Melissa LaCasse: Many reasons and events led us to start Tanbark, but the overarching theme was the climate crisis. The plastic epidemic is a key contributor to the crisis, and our team has unique expertise to help, even if in a small way. We thought it made sense to give companies an alternative to plastic. Plus, the process of thermoforming fiber was invented in Maine more than 100 years ago, and there’s something eloquent about innovating out of this Maine heritage industry to help solve a modern problem.
Mainebiz: What products or niche is your packaging intended for?
ML: The answer to this question will likely evolve as innovation in raw feedstock, the process itself and the chemistry used continues to accelerate at a fast pace. Initially, however, we’re looking at secondary packaging for mid- to high-end food, beauty, and consumer packaged goods. There are also opportunities to replace plastic in hospitals and medical test kits. Essentially, anything manufactured in North America that requires protective or mid- to high-end packaging is a possible market for Tanbark.
I constantly see packaging that should be made from molded fiber instead of plastic. Tanbark will allow companies to make a better choice and meet their sustainability goals.
MB: How will Tanbark use the $50,000 LaunchPad prize money?
ML: We’re putting it toward hiring a designer to help take our technical renderings and show brands how our packaging can elevate the consumer experience, mostly in the act of unboxing the product. We’re looking for an illustrator with modeling skills and a strong aesthetic sensibility.
MB: Future fundraising intentions?
ML: At the moment, we’re fluid with our future capital stack plans. We’re hyper-focused on getting the first production lines up and running.
MB: What’s your timetable for commercial launch?
ML: We’re looking at a late fall to early winter launch.
MB: What can you share about your hiring plans?
ML: We just made two key hires and plan to hire an additional 12 to 15 people between now and winter. We have our work cut out for us and will be using all the traditional and non-traditional tactics we can think of to hire for a variety of skill sets.
MB: Any long-term expansion plans within or beyond Maine?
ML: We plan to grow organically and prove out the model — use smaller machines to serve companies needing lower volume, custom packaging, and then scale to much larger orders as our customers grow. In a year, we want to be on our way to building out the remaining lines in the Saco facility. We have aspirations to take what we learn over the next year and scale it into larger facilities or facilities in different geographic locations. But for now, we’re focused on getting Saco up and running.
MB: What have you learned so far from the Roux Institute Founders Residency program?
ML: The Roux Founders Residency has been instrumental in so much of Tanbark’s success. From my first meeting with Bobbi Lamont and Sandra Stone from Maine Angels to Maine Venture Fund almost a year ago, it’s been astounding. Being accepted in the Founders Residency allowed us to supercharge that momentum and access. It gave Tanbark a place from which to apply rigor and discipline to our fundraising and strategic plan for our launch. They also matched Tanbark with mentors, two of whom ended up on our board. We would not be where we are today without the program.
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