Project Description: Ficus Box
Ficus Box is a reusable food serviceware and packaging solution for meal prep companies, small restaurants, school cafeterias, and events.
Closed-loop events of up to 800 people, such as fairs and food markets, are currently the primary focus as collection rates can be kept high. The company provides plates and cups for food service then arranges on-site collection before washing and
reusing the serviceware. Packaging units are made from durable polypropylene (PP), designed to be durable and recycled at their end of life.
Geographic coverage and scale
Ficus Box operates in Costa Rica, with day-to-day operations concentrated in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM). The company works together with organizations that want to replace single-use packaging with reuse systems across three main deployment contexts:
- Events and activations (corporate events, fairs/markets, festivals)
- Recurring food-service programs (restaurants and prepared-food operators with repeat diners)
- Returnable packaging programs for packaged goods, such as glass returnables (e.g., dairy and beverages)
Ficus Box supports customers through a modular service offer that can be adapted to different scales:
- Reusable container supply (sale / provisioning)
- Operations (delivery, collection, on-site return stations when needed)
- Centralized washing and sanitation
- Optional traceability and measurement (tracking and reporting)
Currently, around 5,000 to 6,000 food containers are reused each month.
Impact (according to company):
Ficus exists to replace single-use food packaging with durable, returnable containers that can be reused many times, reducing waste and improving the user experience in food service and events.
Key impact highlights from tracked operations include:
- Total reuse delivered: 188 903 uses enabled across services
- Estimated waste avoided: ~1 700 kg (based on internal calculation method)
- High return rates in real-world deployments, with a referenced example of ~98% return rate at Feria Verde (a weekly farmers’ market in Costa Rica)
Beyond waste prevention, the model supports cleaner venues and more efficient operations through professional washing/sanitation and optional traceability and reporting (e.g., container scanning and measurement).
Project Leadership & Partners
- Project lead: Ficus (founded and led by Alejandro Calderón).
- Key collaborators/partner types Ficus works with:
- Food-service businesses and recurring-customer programs adopting reusable packaging
- Event organizers and venues implementing “zero-waste” / reuse systems
- Organizations and programs supporting reuse innovation and impact measurement
Support Needs
To accelerate and scale the project, Ficus is generally looking for:
- Funding: Growth capital to expand reusable container inventory, improve washing capacity, and strengthen logistics/operations for additional recurring programs and higher-volume events.
- New partners: Food-service operators, institutions, and event/venue partners that can adopt reuse at scale (recurring demand, clear operational flow, and willingness to implement return systems).
- Specific expertise:
- Impact measurement (LCA / waste accounting) and data storytelling
- Operations and logistics optimization for return systems
- Business development for B2B partnerships and long-term contracts
- Product/system design to improve return rates and user experience
- Other needs: Connections to regional networks working on reuse policy, standards, and procurement to help mainstream reusable packaging systems.
Contact Information: Alejandro Calderón Gómez | (+506) 87218468 | alejandro@ficusbox.com
