Eight Years of Learning: From Corn Starch to Corn Next

People usually share the finished product, the polished version, or the success story. Today, we want to share something different.

What you see in these photos are not perfect products. They are rough, broken, incomplete, and not yet usable. But they represent the most important milestones of the past eight years.

Our journey began in 2018 with the first solid tube made from pure corn starch. For the first time, we were able to turn corn starch into a solid, self-supporting form. It was fragile and unstable, far from practical use, but it proved something critical. Corn starch, without chemical modification, could become a structural material. That single breakthrough told us this journey was worth continuing.

From there, the work became slower and more complex. We moved from tubes to strips, learning how the material truly behaves under different conditions. These early samples may look insignificant, but each one represents countless failed attempts. We struggled with flow control, moisture balance, temperature limits, and repeated structural collapse. At times, the material would simply disappear inside the equipment. Progress only came when we stopped trying to force outcomes and began learning how to work with the material on its own terms.

Our first attempt at injection molding marked another important turning point. The result was a broken, incomplete knife, unusable by any standard. Yet it proved something bigger. The material could enter real industrial manufacturing systems. Not perfectly, and not without failure, but realistically. This moment shifted our work from pure experimentation toward real-world feasibility.

When the first cup was successfully formed, something changed again. We were no longer focused only on material behavior. We were beginning to think in terms of function. A container with a clear purpose made the work tangible, not just for us, but for anyone who could see it. It marked the transition from material research to practical application.

We also explored 3D printing, not as a production method, but as a way to further understand the material itself. The goal was never efficiency. It was learning. We needed to know whether the material could hold its form across different manufacturing processes. The answer was yes, but only through continued iteration and adjustment.

The first spoon followed. It was incomplete and far from refined, but it represented a crucial moment. For the first time, Corn Next began to resemble tableware rather than a laboratory sample. At that point, it became clear that this work had moved beyond research alone.

Eight years into this journey, we can say there were no shortcuts. We encountered faster and easier paths many times, but chose not to take them. We believe deeply that natural materials should not be forced to imitate plastic. They deserve to be treated as an entirely new material category, with their own properties, limitations, and possibilities.

True innovation is rarely the result of a single breakthrough. It is built through the accumulation of many imperfect steps, repeated failures, and hard-earned lessons.

Today, Corn Next has moved far beyond these early stages, but we keep every one of these samples. They remind us why we started, what we refused to compromise, and what we chose to protect. Every small step matters. Every failure leaves a trace forward.

This is how real materials are born.

Each milestone reached in 2025 reflects steady momentum built through real use, real partnerships, and collective choice.

As Corn Next moves into 2026, our products, including straws, powder scoops, and cutlery, will begin scaling across foodservice, institutional, and consumer channels. At scale, impact is no longer incremental. It multiplies.

This is why we believe the future of materials is not about better plastics, but about reconnecting materials with natural cycles. Materials designed to perform in daily life and designed to return responsibly.

From the earth.
For daily life.
Back to the earth.

Thank you for being part of the Corn Next journey.

The holiday season is a time to reflect on what truly brings warmth and meaning. Beyond celebration, it comes from shared values, trusted partnerships, and a commitment to doing things the right way.

At Corn Next, we are deeply grateful for everyone who continues this journey with us. Together with our partners, collaborators, and community, we are building natural materials, reducing waste, and working toward a more responsible future.

As the year comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who has supported our mission and believed in the importance of better materials. Your trust and collaboration make progress possible.

We wish you a restful and joyful holiday season, and we look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.

From nature, Back to nature.
Corn Next Team

Billions of Plastic Powder Scoops Go Unnoticed Every Year

Each year, an estimated 4 billion dry powder scoops are used globally, yet the average recycling rate is only 9 percent.

When we talk about plastic pollution, bottles, bags, and packaging often come to mind. Far less attention is paid to dry powder scoops, even though they appear in billions of households every year through products such as infant formula, protein powders, nutritional supplements, and laundry detergent.

Individually, a single scoop seems insignificant. At scale, however, the environmental impact is substantial. Due to their small size, most plastic powder scoops are not effectively recycled. Even in regions with advanced waste management systems, small items frequently escape sorting processes and end up in landfills, incineration, or the natural environment.

This challenge does not require consumers to change their behavior. It is fundamentally a materials design issue.

At Corn Next, we believe better materials can solve this problem at the source. Corn Next-17 is a natural material derived from corn starch through an enzymatic process. It is not traditional plastic and does not leave persistent plastic fragments at the end of its lifecycle.

By replacing plastic powder scoops with natural materials, plastic waste can be reduced quietly, continuously, and at scale. Sometimes meaningful sustainability progress does not come from sweeping changes, but from rethinking small, overlooked objects that appear billions of times each year.

In an age where climate change headlines dominate and consumers are increasingly mindful of their choices, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a demand. Retailers and wholesalers are adapting swiftly to this shift, as Millennials and Gen Z drive the global push toward eco-conscious living. At Corn Next, we’ve seen firsthand how aligning with sustainability resonates with these influential demographics. Let’s explore how eco-friendly products like ours not only benefit the planet but also help businesses thrive.

The Rise of Eco-Conscious Consumers

Millennials and Gen Z make up the largest consumer groups in today’s market, with a combined purchasing power that continues to grow. What sets these groups apart is their emphasis on values-driven spending. According to Nielsen, 75% of Millennials and 72% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for sustainable products. These generations prioritize brands that reflect their values, from environmental responsibility to ethical sourcing.

For retailers and wholesalers, this isn’t just an opportunity; it’s a call to action. Stocking products that align with sustainability goals doesn’t only attract these customers but it also builds loyalty and drives long-term growth.

In the battle against plastic pollution, bioplastics have often been heralded as a better alternative to traditional plastics made from petroleum. But, as with most things in life, the solution is rarely as simple as it first appears. In reality, while bioplastics certainly offer advantages over their plastic counterparts, they don’t always fulfill the promises of sustainability. Enter CornNext-17, a revolutionary material that takes eco-friendliness to the next level. But how exactly does CornNext-17 stack up against bio-plastics, and why is it the next-generation solution we need to solve the plastic crisis?

The Promise and Limitations of Traditional Bio-Plastics

Bio-plastics are derived from renewable plant-based materials such as corn, sugarcane, and even algae, which make them a step in the right direction from traditional plastics. While they may seem like the perfect solution to replace harmful petroleum-based plastics, bio-plastics still have significant drawbacks.

The Degradation Dilemma

One of the key issues with traditional bio-plastics is their degradation process. While bio-plastics are often marketed as “biodegradable,” many still require industrial composting facilities to break down properly. And even in these facilities, they often take months or even years to degrade. This means that, in the real world—where industrial composting facilities are not available in every community—these materials might not break down as quickly as we need them to. Instead, they may end up in landfills, rivers, or oceans, contributing to pollution and microplastics in our ecosystems.

In the early days of human civilization, we used materials given by nature to create life: stone flakes were polished into knives, bamboo was cut into tubes, and wood was carved into spoons. It was an era of using nature as tools and coexisting harmoniously with nature. The combination of human wisdom and natural materials provided what was needed for life and reserved space for the environment.

With the advancement of technology, metal was born, and tools became hard and sharp; after the Industrial Revolution, plastic came into being, and it dominated the human production system with extremely low cost and extremely high strength. We no longer cut bamboo tubes or carve wood into spoons, but use plastic to replicate these tools exactly.

However, the convenience of plastic comes at the cost of eternity.

It does not rot and is not easy to degrade, bringing unprecedented environmental disasters and health crises. Even the so-called bioplastics such as PLA and PHA, which are labeled as "environmentally friendly", are still essentially derived from the logic of industrial design: stabilizing molecular structure in exchange for "perfect user experience", but leaving a long-term decomposition problem in nature.

What if your straw didn’t just help you sip your drink — but made it taste better and helped the planet at the same time?

Meet Corn Next Flavored Straws — a bold, delicious leap into the future of eco-friendly sipping. Whether you’re a water fanatic, a lemonade lover, or just someone who wants their iced tea to pop with a little extra zing, these straws deliver both flavor and sustainability in every sip. Let’s dive into why Corn Next Flavored Straws are changing the way we drink — and why you’ll want to stock up ASAP.