#143 Don't Waste the Planet - Pallavi Pande, Dtocs

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

Dtocs Founder and Mompreneur Pallavi Pande explains the company name “Dtocs” comes from the obvious word that means “a cleansing journey”. And this is what inspires her mission to collect fallen palm leaves and use them for beneficial purposes before they deteriorate beyond usefulness. The slight variation in spelling is to catch a person’s interest and begin the conversation into the life benefits the company has to offer them. But Pallavi’s detoxification process is much larger in scope than the usual cleansing of the body, she is looking to detox the planet. Their products are straws, spoons, bowls, plates and party packs made from naturally fallen palm leaves on which to enjoy your clean, healthy meals while having the knowledge that the utensils you are using are completely biodegradable. They are chemical free, plastic free, compostable, microwave safe, elegant and single use disposable. And Pallavi’s design sense for a clean, lean, minimal impact on the planet company goes one step beyond being sustainable and environmentally careful. Dtocs employs a majority female workforce and part of the proceeds from sales go towards improving education for the poor local communities in India. Her line is tasteful, uplifting, and beautifully designed, to show you can be a sophisticated person and still be responsible to Mother Earth. How did she get there? Her upbringing is from India and the diet and philosophies of her upbringing continue today. While in India, she wanted to spread the consciousness of being aware of one’s senses and surroundings. When visiting a farm that grew nuts that fell from palm trees, she got the idea of making something of the fallen leaves before they rotted. By heat-compressing the leaves, they are easily shaped into the designer table wares and their natural beauty is an added attraction. This particular palm only grows in India, so don’t go taking the leaves off the palm trees in your neighborhood and expect to make plates and straws. Now people have a choice for their single-use utensil products; ones that sit in the landfill or Dtocs utensils that give back to the earth. Pallavi sums it up best on her website: I started DTOCS with these 3 things in mind- Sustainability, Community and Usability. Dtocs products are available online, https://dtocs.com/. Wholesale prices also are on the site. Personal Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pallavi-pande-bb5abb1b/, Business Linkedin for Dtocs- https://www.linkedin.com/company/57414687/admin/, Fb page- https://www.facebook.com/dtocsplates, Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dtocsplates/, Tiktok- https://www.tiktok.com/@dtocsplates, Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/palpande/ , Twitter- https://twitter.com/DtocsL, youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9fvPs051hLboYHa_XjxlUg. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch