Product trial on tap for Falmouth coaster entrepreneur, working with Sappi

Photo / Tim Greenway Kai Smith, of Maine Coasters & Bio-Boards, is preparing for a pre-commercial product trial in October, with assistance from partners including the Sappi Technology Center in Westbrook.

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By Renee Cordes

Kai Smith, the eco-entrepreneur behind Falmouth-based Maine Coasters & Bio-Boards, is gearing up for a pre-commercial trial of his beer coasters, which are made from softwood pulp and spent grains left over from the brewing process.

He told Mainebiz he's hoping to have between 150,000 and 180,000 coasters in the trial run at the College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry at Syracuse University, in upstate New York.

Smith developed the prototypes in coordination with the University of Maine, and connected with Syracuse via the Sappi North America Technology Center in Westbrook, which will help oversee the trial and provide pulp for the project.

"This is an important step," Smith said. "We want to put our products on a slightly larger stage, and see how customers react. We haven't sold any coasters yet, so this will help us test the business model as much as the product itself."

Smith was one of three Maine eco-innovators profiled in the June 24 print edition of Mainebiz, with a focus on energy and the environment.

The coasters for the trial will be made from one of seven prototypes that the company generated with UMaine in 2018, and will initially be sold at a premium to what's currently in the market.

Smith said he hopes to have enough coasters from the trial run to supply 10 to 15 Maine-based breweries in November.

He said he's already provided prototypes to Allagash Brewing, Shipyard Brewing, Maine Beer Co. and Rising Tide Brewing, and noted that Maine's largest beer makers place large orders of coasters on an annual or biannual basis.

"I won't be looking to replace all their coasters," he explains. "I'm hoping to gain their trust first and help them see that our coasters are just as good, and tell a better story to their customers."

During the trials, Smith said he will focus on keeping a lid on costs and getting the most products possible out of each batch. "Then we need to find machines in Maine that are able to make coasters, and the options are kind of limited."

He also plans to look into securing intellectual property related to making paper and other products from brewers' spent grain, and plans to keep working on his own for at least another year.

With some support from the Maine Technology Institute, Smith said he's self-funded his venture, but will need to find additional financing before he can hire someone to help with sales. Smith, who started the business from his home in Falmouth, said he doesn't have a timeline for hiring employees.

Asked where he sees his startup in the future, Smith replied: "I really hope to be producing coasters in Maine in the next three to five years. I also hope to have a few other products in the pipeline aimed toward breweries, which help them mitigate their spent grain waste."