Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The GreenBox In The Carolinas: Wolfman Pizza Blazes The Trail!!!



You probably saw this coming, didn't you?

Normally I would say that predictability is a bad thing, but in the case of the GreenBox, I'm happy to report the same story over and over again: another forward-thinking chain has elected to better serve their customers and their planet - with the GreenBox.

Wolfman Pizza has now become the first chain Carolinas to use the GreenBox exclusively. Wolfman District Manager Bailey Dumnire had this to say (quite eloquently, I think):


"A lot of green products are eco-friendly, and that's great, but they also cost five to ten times more. What drew me to the GreenBox was its multiple uses; you can eliminate plates and get a storage container, all from one box. It's right in line with other pizza box costs, and a great way to be green and stay within reason as far as costs go."

Man...we oughta hire her! Couldn't have said it better myself. And on behalf of everyone at ECOvention, allow me to say that we're thrilled to add another valued customer to our roster.

XO

The GreenBox Intern

Monday, September 27, 2010

If You Took This Many Hits, You'd Be Dead - The GreenBox Video Blows Up AGAIN!!!

The simple, no-frills demonstration video for the GreenBox is on both YouTube and Vimeo, and has been linked to on a gazillion websites all over the world. It goes a little something like this:



That video has slowly and surely garnered tons of hits on both YouTube and Vimeo - but this past week saw a spectacular jump in the number of inquiring minds eager to learn about the GreenBox. On Vimeo, the GreenBox demonstration video garnered 118,000 hits in a single day (September 27th, to be exact). And over on YouTube, it looks like we're mere hours or away from 1 million total hits since this humble video was posted.


Thank you to all the enthusiastic fans of the GreenBox who have viewed the video and (we're sure) fallen in love with the product.


Now if I could only get that many people to read my blog, I'd be all set.


XO,


The GreenBox Intern


P.S. In response to a commenter on YouTube: yes, Alec Baldwin did in fact do the voiceover for the video, and I would like to take a moment to say that he was delightful to work with. Mr. Baldwin is a class act and the few hours we spent with him in the studio were a delight from start to finish - he even signed Sales Director Ned Kensing's motorized scooter! (Disclaimer: Alec Baldwin was not involved in the making of the GreenBox demonstration video in any capacity. Allegations of him being "a pleasure to work with" cannot be confirmed at this time. Sales Director Ned Kensing does in fact own and operate a motorized scooter, but it has not been signed or even seen by Alec Baldwin).

Friday, September 24, 2010

Twitter Chatter and Blog Bonanza - The GreenBox Social Media Round-Up

All the good news issuing from our offices lately has brought a fresh wave of social media chatter and blog coverage for the GreenBox. It's important to note that all of the following accolades and well-wishes are entirely unsolicited. The P.R. industry must hate the GreenBox - we've never had to pay a cent for widespread coverage of the product. People get one look at the GreenBox and their hearts are set aflutter (wish I could say the same for myself...). What follows is a partial breakdown of the attention the GreenBox has received in the past 48 hours alone.

From folks on Twitter:

  • #Phil_Moad: "Pizza box that will change your life."

  • #frameofmind: "Just enjoyed our first pizza to be delivered in the ingenious GreenBox."

  • #ashlee47: "The GreenBox idea is pretty awesome. I hope ALL pizza places start using these!"

  • #interactivemark [WARNING - EXPLICIT CONTENT]: "I don't say this type of thing lightly but this is the greatest f*cking pizza box in the history of the world." 

And, my personal favorite...

  • #pudelnews: "GreenBox ist eine neue Pizzaschachtel, die das Handling und Aufbewahren von Pizzas erleichtert...."

From the Blogosphere:












And of course, there were countless tweets and links to our YouTube demonstration video - I wouldn't be surprised if we hit 1 million views in the next few days!

Thanks to everyone who's been talking about the GreenBox on the net - folks like you are a huge part of making this box the new industry standard. It's only a matter of time...

xo,

The GreenBox Intern

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

News Travels Fast: Ali Baba Pizza & the GreenBox Make Headlines!!!

It was only yesterday that Canadian pizza chainAli Baba Pizza announced their pioneering decision to use the GreenBox; less than 24 hours later, that announcement is causing a whole lot of buzz and chatter up north.

An article from today's Times Colonist in Victoria highlights something that we've been saying all along - the GreenBox is not only a better pizza box for customers and for the environment, it's also a publicity-generating powerhouse. The article casts the GreenBox as an eco-friendly weapon in the battle for customer allegiance. Ali Baba owner Mark Murr is as shrewd about packaging as he is about PR - which makes him and his business a perfect match for the GreenBox.

And that's not all! The GreenBox was also featured on television up in Canada. Mark described the GreenBox thusly on CHUM's News at 5:

"We've been in the pizza business now for 20-plus years. I know [the pizza box] is the one thing that people have been trying to reinvent over and over. We've seen everything from plastic to recyclable to washable boxes. We've seen bags rather than boxes, and nothing has really hit the mark..This product [the GreenBox] I think is incredible - and the future of pizza boxes."

Ali Baba Pizza CEO Mark Murr with the Ali Baba GreenBox
Mark Murr is a man as eloquent as he is photogenic - although that Ali Baba GreenBox ain't bad-lookin' either.

XO,

The GreenBox Intern

Gourmet Pizza and Good Vino: Beatrice's Inferno at the Galen Glen Winery

Beatrice and the GreenBox pose for the cameras at the Galen Glen Winery.
Beatrice's Inferno is an ingenious marvel in the world of pizza-making: a wood-fired oven on wheels that cranks out critically acclaimed gourmet pizzas wherever it darn well pleases. And the man driving the oven (so to speak) is owner Jason Brown.

We love all of our customers, but Jason has distinguished himself as a true friend of the GreenBox with his tireless enthusiasm for the product. Most recently, Jason and the GreenBox made an appearance at the Galen Glen Winery, whipping up gourmet pizzas for Galen Glen's vineyard tour and wine-tasting. The hardest working man in showbiz (Sales Director Ned Kensing) was on hand for the event. As usual, the GreenBox was a huge hit with the hordes - as were Jason's unique gourmet pizza creations.

The GreenBox and Beatrice's Inferno - BFF's of the pizza world.
Thanks as always to Jason Brown and Beatrice's Inferno for their vocal support of the GreenBox - one fine example of the power of the people pushing this product to the top of the pizza packaging pile (try saying that 5 times fast).

XO,

The GreenBox Intern

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The GreenBox Heads North with Ali Baba Pizza!!!


In the past few months, the GreenBox has been stampeding all over the United States and beyond. We've added customer after customer to the list of forward-thinking folks who recognize the GreenBox as a superior product and the new way forward in pizza packaging. Before I get to today's big news, allow me to briefly summarize our progress thus far.

The GreenBox family has seen tremendous growth in the past few months alone: Whole Foods Markets is adding the GreenBox to more and more stores as we speak...local chains Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis and the New York Pizza Department in Arizona have been added to the list of American chains using the GreenBox...Sigma Q (an absolute giant of manufacturing in Central America) represents the progress of the GreenBox around the globe...I could go on, but I've got news to deliver.

Drum roll please: Canadian chain Ali Baba Pizza is hopping on the GreenBox train, and we here at ECOvention couldn't happier. I'll let Ali Baba CEO Mark Murr do the talkin' for me:

“We travel all over the world looking for new ideas, and we are excited to introduce the GreenBox to our customers and to pioneer its use in British Columbia.”

We couldn't agree more, Mark - and we're thrilled to be part of Ali Baba's transition to the pizza box of the 21st Century. As the first Canadian chain to transition to the GreenBox, Ali Baba Pizza is blazing a trail amongst our friends to the North.

And check out that amazing box (see above)! The Ali Baba GreenBox is giving the Pi Pizzeria version a run for its money!

Disclaimer from the GreenBox Intern: Excuse Me If I Seem Contented




Hi, all. It's the GreenBox Intern, with a brief disclaimer for my fan(s).

If you're a devoted reader of the GreenBox Blog, you've probably noticed that I've been uncharacteristically positive of late. You might even find yourself missing the cynical, bitter tone of my previous blog entries. I am well aware that some of my biggest fans are those who take pleasure in my personal suffering. This blog was once a chronicle of my ignominy and pain; it has slowly evolved in to a story of success and positivity. Despite my best efforts to remain mired in fear and self-loathing, I have been elevated to a new plane of positivity by the smashing success of the GreenBox.

The fact is, we've had such an avalanche of good news over the past few months that it's been hard for me to stay in touch with my negative side. I would like to apologize to those readers who have come to expect and, indeed, to thrive on my depression, anxiety, and deep-rooted sense of personal failure. Rest assured that I am still beset by these problems in my personal life and that I continue to have trouble meeting my own eyes in the mirror...but on a company level, I can't help but celebrate the meteoric rise of the GreenBox. This product is taking off in a big way, and I feel compelled to set aside my own feelings of spiritual bankruptcy (which remain profound) to share in the good news!

Kumbaya, my friends. Kumbaya.

Positively Yours,

The GreenBox Intern

Friday, September 17, 2010

The GreenBox: On the Road Again!!!


Recently, the GreenBox was invited to make an appearance at the World Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. The GreenBox was invited to the show under the auspices of distribution giant PFG/Roma Foods and their Main-Man-in-Massachusetts, Peter Gallant.

When the GreenBox is invited somewhere, the GreenBox doesn't go alone. The GreenBox can't drive, after all. That's where Sales Director Ned Kensing comes in (he can't drive either, in my personal opinion, but maybe that's just residual trauma from the past. You'd feel the same way if you had endured a childhood of hair-raising, near-death experiences in a car with him).

A tireless workhorse as always, Ned did not hesitate to accept the invitation and rise to the occasion.

Ned was up at dawn loading up the truck with GreenBox samples and display materials. He was on the road before the sun was up, and arrived at the Performance Food Group/Roma Foods event bright and early for pre-show pow-wows with the bigwigs.

According to Ned, the GreenBox was such a hit with the crowds that he was unable to step away for a meal or a bathroom break until about 4 pm. All things considered, Ned handled the situation well and was able to avoid any (noticeable) incidents of incontinence. I would have been happy to accompany Ned on the trip and lend a hand, but I'm still in intensive psychotherapy following my nervous breakdown at a previous trade show event. I'm not built for the limelight.

Imagine that, though - the GreenBox is a product so popular, a product that makes crowds so ravenous for samples and information that this lone superstar of sales could not even excuse himself to use the restroom, let alone eat lunch. (Incidentally, "lunch" for Ned usually consists of washing down a Cliff Bar with half a bottle of apple-cider vinegar. He swears it's great for you - I swear he's certifiable). Certifiable or not, by all accounts it was a fantastic success for the GreenBox and another triumph for Sales Director Ned Kensing.

And look at that pic! Incontrovertible photographic proof that the GreenBox is sweeping the nation! Represented at the show were the customized boxes from just a few of our wonderful customers - Pi Pizzeria, the New York Pizza Department, Ali Baba (a Canadian chain, about whom more will be written soon), and last but by no means least, Whole Foods! Not a bad roster - and it's growing by the minute.

Special thanks to PFG/Roma Foods and in particular to Roma's Peter Gallant.