# Amai

Patent-pending, single-use alternative:
              edible, compostable cups 

## Elevator pitch
We manufacture an edible cup from upcycled spent brewers grains and oat protein.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/amai
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:114594
- Last updated: 2026-06-20T05:00:53Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-20T23:00:31Z

## Quick facts
- U.S. single-use cup market is $4.2B. Amai's alternative is well-timed to compete in this space.
- Theme park, travel, service partnerships in place to grow to est. $44.7M by 2027, 5 year CAGR 79.8%
- Presence in 17 states servicing a variety of applications. 2023 capacity already SOLD OUT!
- Early-to-market upcycled, made in the U.S. edible cup. Profitable by 2024 with $4.5M EBIT (est.).
- Operational and executive experience across many disciplines at Panasonic, Nike, Fox, Activision.
- Team has proven track record successfully scaling CPG from R&D phase to volume production.
- Advisory board rounds out our team by bringing agricultural research and food production expertise
- We aim to keep 285M single-use cups out of landfill and prevent >4,800 tons of food waste by 2027.

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:62651: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)
- wefunder:fundraise:62652: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
THE PITCHUNREALIZED POTENTIAL AND THE BIRTH OF AN IDEAIn early 2020, we discovered a delicious, vegan, edible cup from Europe and started importing it to the U.S. People were amazed by the concept of a cup you could eat, enjoy, and compost, and we gained popularity with caterers, cafes, and health food stores. However, the product stopped short of being truly eco-friendly— it used virgin grains as primary ingredients that required land, water, and energy resources.  It also included non-recyclable and excess packaging, and required overseas transportation resulting in harmful carbon emissions. This experience, coupled with our market insights, led to the development of our zero-waste cup, Z Cup, the first step in our bigger vision of creating containers made from recovered food sources. Capturing and repurposing highly nutritious spent grain from beer and oat milk production, we created a patent-pending, neutral-flavored, vegan container that can be used for coffee, tea, ice cream, soup, or anything else you can dream up! Shelf stable with exceptional thermal and moisture resistance, our product is MADE IN AMERICA by our female-owned company.While we agree it’s always best to opt for a reusable cup, sometimes it’s not always feasible or practical to tote your own, like on an airplane. Or sometimes we forget. Then we’re left with no choice but to use whatever is offered and most often times it is paper or plastic.  Unlike paper and plastic cup production, steam is the only bi-product from Amai's process. We even utilize the trimmings and imperfect cups for other products so no food is ever wasted. Our future factory will run off the grid by generating its own power from a solar farm. Machinery and vehicles will be powered using this renewable and sustainable energy source.HOW WE MAKE OUR CUPS*Upcycled foods definition: "Upcycled foods use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment." - upcycledfoods.orgHere is an example of how we procure brewers spent grains using the NETZRO platform.  We are on track to have Z Cup Upcycled Certified by Q4 2022.We've invested $200k of our personal funds and with a little scrappy resourcefulness have generated some amazing traction. Major companies across different sectors are interested in our product, and we are uniquely positioned to be able to capture all of this momentum.  Things we can disclose include:Carlsbad Lifestyle    NewYork Times    SanDiego Magazine   Fox5 Local News  Carlsbad Biz The worldwide single-use cup market was $13.3B in 2021 with U.S. sales at $4.2B.  The Food Service sector accounts for over $2B of U.S. sales of disposable paper, plastic, and styrofoam cups and is the fastest growing segment: $3.54B by 2025 (up 54%).This market includes catering, restaurants, sports and arts venues, cruise ships and airlines. Minimal Market Capture = sizable revenue potential and runway for future growthOur goal is to achieve 1.25% market share by 2026, grossing $31M in revenue.This still leaves untapped opportunities to explore other markets such Hospitals, Universities, National Parks, Theme Parks, Grocery, and Retail.  Below we’ve outlined a five year road map on how we plan to stave off the competition and stay ahead of the curve.  We understand the competitive landscape and that others will be ramping up in the next 2-3 years.  Our strategy is to scale quickly and get a foothold on the U.S. market first before focusing on export operations.  Depending on how the market and competition evolves, this may cause us to change the sequencing of products and/or accelerate expansion into global markets. 1. Establish a U.S. test production facility to produce 10,000 cups per month. Focus on optimizing the manufacturing workflow and establishing market price points.2. Address current demand by fulfilling small-volume orders and seed the market with production samples to attract larger contracts for future orders.3. Cover operating expenses while we embark on a $4.75M capital raise to fund the purchase of two high-volume production lines capable of producing more than 6,000 cups per hour. It is essential for us to scale quickly to meet forecasted demand.4. $750K gives us a nine month runway.  $1M will take us out twelve months. .Thank you for your interest in the work we are doing! Please find links below to additional information.What is a SAFE Investment?Request Amai Business Plan Docs

## FAQ
1. **What major food allergies does the cup contain?**
   - Hi, Cindy. At this time the recipe does contain gluten. However, they are soy, nut, dairy and egg free. We will reformulate a gluten free version at a later stage, but probably not for a year or so after production starts. Hope you guys have had a nice summer. Jeannine and I appreciate your interest.
2. **We want to know what you see your valuation will look like in 3 years also the income and balance statements Not to say much, I think we are very much interested in this project but then we are not opting for the crowdfunding route. We were wondering if you have provisions to ...**
   - Thank you for reaching out Thomas and for your interest in our company. We will connect with you offline.
3. **Will they hold liquid**
   - Hi Elena, Yes indeed, they hold liquid. You can put your coffee in the cups, or steep tea at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. They stay crunchy up to 45 minutes with liquid in them. They begin to get soft afterwards, but they won't leak for up to 24 hours while they hold the liquid.
4. **What is their price point compared to a cone or other recyclable cups?**
   - Thank you for your questions Elena. When compared with recyclable cups for lower volume catering applications, for example, we're priced on par - especially with our customized label option. Our price point is higher compared to other single-use alternatives at larger volumes, but as we move towards automation, our goal is to be able to compete head to head. Compared with other edible containers such as the traditional cake cone for ice-cream, we'll likely always be priced higher, while remai...
5. **At the beginning of the pitch you mention that importing from Europe causes CO2 emissions and then later describe plans for exporting the products. How will you do that in an eco-friendly way?**
   - That’s a really important question, Cristian. It's a challenge for sure as we've already been contacted by companies in several countries asking if they could become a distributor of our products. Ideally, we’d expand into global markets through licensing our technology and establishing overseas manufacturing partners so the product could be produced locally. Not only would this eliminate the need for exporting, but utilizing locally-sourced upcycled ingredients brings additional benefits to ...

## Team
- Jeannine Davison (Founder/CEO)
- Laura H (Supply Chain & Distribution)
- Sue Marshall (Advisory Board )
- Deanna Smith (Advisory Board)
- Sandra Cavender (Brand Strategy & Design)
- Sven Davison (Co-Founder/COO)
- Peter Kordell (Advisory Board)
- Marcy Natkin (Advisory Board)

## Recent posts
- Press Release: Amai is a Finalist in CA Mfg Contest (2024-09-10T07:00:30Z)
- Top 16 Coolest Things Made in California (2024-08-27T03:49:53Z)
- Expansion Update (2024-03-23T20:44:22Z)
- Holiday Greetings from Amai (2023-12-22T22:51:22Z)
- The talk about town ... (2023-10-20T00:53:33Z)
- Q2 Update (2023-07-27T00:22:06Z)
- HELP US REDUCE SINGLE-USE WASTE! Invest in fully biodegradable, upcycled cups. (2023-04-07T17:34:37Z)
- How would you use our Edible Cup? (2023-04-04T18:42:16Z)
- We’re down to the final week of our Wefunder campaign! (2023-04-01T19:28:19Z)
- EXPO WEST Anaheim, CA March 7-11 (2023-03-14T06:19:16Z)
- Sustainable manufacturing leads to product improvements (2023-03-04T23:59:37Z)
- This is going to be our year! (2023-01-10T17:01:09Z)
- We are so grateful! (2022-11-24T17:52:30Z)
- Form C filed with the SEC today (2022-10-22T02:27:17Z)
- Our campaign is off to a great start! (2022-10-14T19:37:16Z)

## Q&A
- Q: At the beginning of the pitch you mention that importing from Europe causes CO2 emissions and then later describe plans for exporting the products. How will you do that in an eco-friendly way?
  - A: That’s a really important question, Cristian. It's a challenge for sure as we've already been contacted by companies in several countries asking if they could become a distributor of our products. Ideally, we’d expand into global markets through licensing our technology and establishing overseas manufacturing partners so the product could be produced locally. Not only would this eliminate the need for exporting, but utilizing locally-sourced upcycled ingredients brings additional benefits to the region! We'd only begin exporting after careful consideration about how to do it responsibly- whether that be through offsetting carbon emissions, utilizing more direct shipping routes or transportation companies that focus on green initiatives, or designing bulk packaging solutions that are streamlined and fully recyclable. Thank you for your interest in what we are doing!
- Q: What is their price point compared to a cone or other recyclable cups?
  - A: Thank you for your questions Elena. When compared with recyclable cups for lower volume catering applications, for example, we're priced on par - especially with our customized label option. Our price point is higher compared to other single-use alternatives at larger volumes, but as we move towards automation, our goal is to be able to compete head to head. Compared with other edible containers such as the traditional cake cone for ice-cream, we'll likely always be priced higher, while remaining on par with waffle/sugar cones.
- Q: With the Regulation of  Crowdfunding deals the amount we can invest per year across this platform will hit the limit, so We were wondering if you have provisions to accept alternative outright financing. With that, we can cover over 60% of your target raise. Kindly reach out to me at HornbeckInvestment@protonmail.com so we discuss further.
  - A: Hello George- Thank you for your interest in Amai. We do have provisions for alternative financing outside of Wefunder and will be in touch via email soon. Kind Regards, Jeannine
- Q: Hello Jeannine, Unfortunately I never received the business plan in time before the funding deadline... Hopefully it's available before the next funding round.
- Q: Hello Jeannine Davison and Team. This is a great product and good for the planet! How many calories are in each edible cup? I do understand it depends which size, but an estimate is much appreciated. Best of luck! Matt
  - A: Hi Matt- thanks so much for your question and the positive feedback. The 8oz cups are around 110 calories and the 3.5 oz around 50 calories. We recently optimized the recipe to use pea starch (instead of tapioca) which is far more sustainable, easier to source, less expensive, and a little goes a lot further! Next steps include working up a full nutritional panel. We’ll be sure to post it once complete. Thank you!
- Q: Hello Ms. Davidson, Just came across your company and novel concept and product, and would like to view your business plan if available. Sent you an email a couple of days ago. Kind regards, Al Scott
  - A: Hi Al- please look for an email from info@amai.earth sent yesterday morning and let us know if you haven’t received it. Hopefully this follow up is just a timing issue. Thank you!
- Q: Hi Jeannine, Do your cups come in different colors?
  - A: Hi Michael- They're only available au naturale. We do plan to offer different flavors in the future, but at the moment no plans to provide colors - although now you've got me thinking beet red, carrot orange, and maybe spinach green! :)
- Q: How does your cup perform after freezing it, say I wanted to use it for Jello?
  - A: So glad you asked this questions Dominick! The cups hold up really well to refrigeration and freezing. We've had clients make layered desserts (like tiramisu) and refrigerated them overnight for serving the next day. They stay crispy and do not get soggy. Also, another customer of ours coats the interior with chocolate and then freezes the cups. Later they use the frozen cups with hot chocolate and have had great results. Maybe we'll try some with Jello! :)
- Q: 1. Name some stores in the Houston, Texas area that sell your product? 2. Have you spoken with StarBucks about your product and if so, how long ago was that & what became of that conversation?
  - A: Thank you for your interest in Amai and for your questions Edward. 1. Unfortunately you won't find us in any stores in your area as retail has not been a primary focus. We have shipped to a couple of caterers in Houston and most recently have received an order from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Hyatt. 2. We validated proof of concept using upcycled ingredients at the beginning of December. Now that we have a product to show, we'll be talking with Starbucks. We have already entered into conversations with Dunkin' Donuts.
- Q: I really like the idea of this company. Are there any plans for this to become publicly traded? Also, considering the road map of your production and scaling, what would be a general time-frame that investors could start seeing returns?
  - A: Hi Leon, Thank you for your questions. Our focus is to be profitable by the end of next year. Our goal is to be publicly traded and for investors to start seeing returns shortly after that.
- Q: Hi, what happened with the rolling close announced on November 4th?
  - A: Hi John, The First Goal Hit triggered a rolling close. However our campaign is still open until February and we plan to promote aggressively starting next week. All the best, Sven
  - A: Hi John- I'm happy to report that we received funds from the rolling close today! Thank you for your investment. We will be providing an update to all investors this weekend about our plans to start putting the money to work- the first order of business being the completion of our facility build out to comply with local and state food production health codes. Kind Regards, Jeannine
- Q: Will they hold liquid
  - A: Hi Elena, Yes indeed, they hold liquid. You can put your coffee in the cups, or steep tea at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. They stay crunchy up to 45 minutes with liquid in them. They begin to get soft afterwards, but they won't leak for up to 24 hours while they hold the liquid.
- Q: We want to know what you see your valuation will look like in 3 years also the income and balance statements Not to say much, I think we are very much interested in this project but then we are not opting for the crowdfunding route. We were wondering if you have provisions to accept alternative financing. With that we can cover over 50% of your target raise. Kindly reach out to me at thomas@700capital.se so we discuss further.
  - A: Thank you for reaching out Thomas and for your interest in our company. We will connect with you offline.
- Q: What major food allergies does the cup contain?
  - A: Hi, Cindy. At this time the recipe does contain gluten. However, they are soy, nut, dairy and egg free. We will reformulate a gluten free version at a later stage, but probably not for a year or so after production starts. Hope you guys have had a nice summer. Jeannine and I appreciate your interest.
- Q: Has anyone seen any new information about this company? It seems like they all go quiet and seemingly nonexistent after a few years.
  - A: Hi Jacqueline- We're still humming along and, despite the long silence, we've been busier than ever working tirelessly to raise more capital and to find a home for our custom-built manufacturing line. In parallel we are acquiring new customers in virtually every sector of food service.We are grateful to our early investors and have had to contribute close to $500k of personal finances over the past 8 months to keep the company afloat so it is our highest priority to get this line into service and producing product asap. We're in serious negotiations with the Free Trade Zone in Panama, two Mexico-based locations, and have recently re-opened conversations with a U.S. snack producer, now that the tariffs to import our equipment have been reduced from $1M to just over $400k. Still way more than we want, or can afford, to pay but seems unavoidable if we want to produce in the U.S.. Our local congressman is working to get us an exception, but so far no luck so we're trying to raise the $400k through a new investment round outside of Wefunder.Thank you for your inquiry and reminding me that we've been remiss in providing timely updates! I hope that the next update includes news about the site location of our long awaited production facility. :)With Regards,Jeannine DavisonCEO, Amai Inc.