"Out of the Box": 10 of Our Best-Kept Secrets

It's a pizza box, 4 plates and a storage container. Oh my! 

Friends of GreenBox all know and love our eco-friendly "genius pizza box" (the one that's changing the world, one pizza box at a time ☺), but we're betting even our biggest fans will learn a little something today. 

So, since we just feasted on a large pie and we're feelin' good (and in a partial food coma) we thought we'd share some of our best-kept secrets. It's time we let them out of the box, dontcha think?

Here goes nothin'!

1. Even celebrities love the GreenBox. Back in 2009, A-list actor and Twitter aficionado Ashton Kutcher tweeted about our product with one simple word: "Smart." For a young start-up, the moment was huge. Six years later and we still brag about it to our friends. 

2. The GreenBox wasn't a gift from the Gods. It was actually invented by our co-founder, William Walsh, back in college. Living in a frat house left a lot to be desired (including clean dishes), so Will began tearing pizza box tops into plates. One X-acto knife and 100 pizza boxes later, Will came up with a use for the bottom of the box, too: a compact storage container for leftovers. It was then and there that the GreenBox design was born. 

3. The GreenBox may be American-made, but it's available to pizzerias all over the globe. In fact, the GreenBox is making waves "down under" through our partner in Australia (heck yeah, mate!), as well as in Central America, the Middle East and, in coming months, Europe! We just couldn't keep this game-changer to ourselves. ☺ 

4. In 2009, GreenBox was founded by three best friends - and today, we are infinitely proud to call one of those founders our President. Jennifer Wright-Laracy left her stable finance job behind to pursue her dream of entrepreneurship (and pizza obsession). Her story was recently spotlighted on CNBC's "Escaping the Cube." How's that for an awesome leader?

5. Our GreenBox demo video currently boasts over 5.6 million views. That's five times the number of people living in the state of Rhode Island. Just let that soak in for a minute. 

6. The GreenBox was named one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2009. Check out GreenBox creator Will Walsh spotlighted in all his pizza-loving glory. This photo will hang on our wall for years to come, and we couldn't be prouder.

7. Arturo's Pizzeria in Maplewood, NJ and the Big Apple's Pizza by Certe were the first users of the GreenBox - and have both stayed loyal to us from the beginning. Their unwavering faith in our product has helped make GreenBox the new standard of pizza boxes. How lucky are we? 

8. Following a nomination by Whole Foods, the GreenBox was the winner of the Responsible Packaging Award in 2010 (psst: The GreenBox is in half of the Whole Foods' across the U.S.). 

9. We've met some cool people along the way. After being selected by Wharton as one of the "Top 25 Most Promising Start-ups," we were lucky enough to snap this photo with CNBC Host Donny Deutsch at the award ceremony. Don't worry - we made sure to reel him into the GreenBox fan club.

10. We've made the media rounds. In 2014, we were in the hands of Rachael Ray, on set of The Chew, and spotlighted by Today.com, The Huffington Post, the LA Times, BuzzFeed and more (really - the list is crazy long). Then, just a few months ago - the GreenBox was featured on ABC's "Shark Tank" and CNBC's "Power Lunch." It's been one heck of a whirlwind, and we're thrilled to have you along for the ride. 

Will: Our Co-Founder & Friend, Always

It’s been an incredible year for Ecovention. Mentions of the GreenBox have been ever-present, from talk shows to radio shows, from blogs to beyond. It’s thrilling, humbling, and everything we ever wanted. But through it all… we can’t help but think of Will.

Three years ago this November, we lost our beloved co-founder & GreenBox creator, William Walsh. He was a passionate leader, a caring father, and a forever friend; he was a human being we were lucky to know. His genius was contagious. His smile and wit lit up the room. He was a man with soul, an unwavering spirit, and an unforgettable presence.

The world just hasn’t been the same. We’re missing him always.

But the truth is, he hasn’t left us. With every moment of success & happiness, we feel him. We heard him cheering us on when the GreenBox made headlines in The Huffington Post. We felt his hugs & high-fives when we were featured on segments of The Chew, Rachael Ray & MSNBC. We saw his soulful eyes light up with pride when the GreenBox made waves in Buzzfeed & The LA Times. He’s here, every step of the way, pushing us forward toward his dreams – and ours.

So today, we want to thank him. For the invention he brought to life, for the way he’s changing the world, and for the lives he has touched. He always wanted to make a difference… and we’re immensely proud to be a part of his vision, realized. 

This is only the beginning.

Twit Chit Chat: GreenBox Buzz

Here we are, on the brink of a steamy summer – the World Cup, Independence Day & baseball season are all upon us. In other words: buckle your seatbelts, folks…it’s pizza season.

Over the past few weeks, social media has been abuzz with talk of the Greenbox. It’s been a hit with Twitter Tweeters and Facebook Likers, and the attention just keeps pouring in (and we never, ever want it to stop!). Our YouTube demonstration video is rapidly approaching 2.5 million hits – and comments like “freaking awesome” & “this is the kind of thing that will save the planet” are getting us giddy. Feels just like Christmas over here in Greenbox offices.

Here’s a little snippet of the good vibes we’ve been getting from Greenbox users & loyal followers alike. Keep ‘em coming, guys!

Talk on Twitter:

@cdnmtbchick:

@greenboxny just saw you on @rachaelray coolest pizza box ever! Hope everyone switches to those!

@LastDragonPizza:

I re-ordered my @greenboxny from wholesaler and they sent me this #idontthinkso #nocando #ecofriendlyplease #return

 

@TheHungryDogg:

Coolest pizza box EVER! @greenboxny When are they coming to LA? @costcotweets would benefit from these.

@Valduccis:

Call @FoodtoEat Tell them we want Valducci's Antipasto Bar for lunch! Make sure they use @greenboxny save the planet 

@LastDragonPizza:

We #ROCK the #GREENBOX! @GreenBoxNY @pmqpizzamag #Rockaway #nyc #nycpizza #pizza #FarRockaway #pizzaday #pizzatime

 

@somecityusa:  

@greenboxny I have been playing with that box all afternoon- cool little gadget!

@StarrGazr  

My stream this morning is full of @TheRandySteel and boxes, @greenboxny and @redbox What kind of day will this be?

…the best day EVER, @starrgazr.

@Columbia_Biz:  

Jennifer Wright '09, founder of @greenboxny, just finished her pitch to @ABCNetwork's #SharkTank! 

@PizzaExpress:

@greenboxny always great to hear from our friends from across the pond! NY pizza... Mmm....

@ali_watty:

@greenboxny THAT IS LITTERALLY THE BEST THING EVER.

               …Stop it. We’re blushing. #andweloveyou

To make it big time, you’ve gotta believe in yourself. That’s rule number one. But, having you guys believe in us too makes all the difference in the world.

Thanks for sticking around every step of the way. Here’s to big things in the future!

Chew on This

We’re a small company with big dreams. And we’re spreading like wildfire.

It all started with Vine. GreenBox’s video was the featured video of the day, and in just 10 hours, had over 10,000 likes, 2,500 comments, and almost 3,000 shares. Today, those numbers have doubled.

That was just the beginning.

Wake Up Montana, Local 4 News in Detroit & Good Day Philadelphia… it seemed like the entire nation was talking about the GreenBox. Radio stations and blogs were beaming about our eco-friendly product, calling it the “smartest idea ever!”

But that’s not all. The GreenBox made an appearance on ABC’s The Chew, Today.com & CBS’ The Rachael Ray Show. Within the past two weeks, we’ve increased our Facebook likes by almost 40%, while our YouTube video has over 2 million hits. We’ve gotten calls from pizzerias across the world – from Australia to South America, all the way to France and beyond. It’s been remarkable, and humbling.

It’s quite possible that our product is, in fact, “changing the world one pizza box at a time.”  And to think…it all started with a college kid’s creative mind & larger than life dreams.

Looking forward to what’s to come, and we can’t wait to have you along for the ride.

GreenBox at International Pizza Expo 2014!

Hi, all.  We thought we would give our faithful readers a heads-up that we’re gearing up for an exciting industry event this month, the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, NV!  The show kicks off on Tuesday, March 25th and runs through Thursday, March 27th and the Greenbox will be prominently displayed at the Roma Foods booth #1127 (pretty high-class company, huh?).

If you can attend the show, please do so – the GreenBox crew would love to meet you. Otherwise, stick close to this blog for the latest updates... I’ll be live-blogging and Tweeting the show as it happen.  Get on board now and be sure to befriend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

One final teaser:  stay tuned for our nex blog in which we will provide an amazing synopsis of the plethora of TV coverage the Greenbox has received... The GreenBox is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rachael Ray and Mario Batali... Not bad for a little pizza box.