Products that are simple yet necessary are sometimes easily overlooked. Though attention to detail seems to be on the top of everyone's mind for all products in general, toothpicks are something that not many consider having a luxe option available, that is until they hear about Daneson.
Daneson is a Canadian based company that produces flavored toothpicks using all-natural ingredients and birch wood from America and Canada to produce subtly flavored toothpicks that will leave you keeping the toothpick in your mouth long after you get the food out of your teeth. With four flavors to choose from including mint, bourbon, scotch, and cinnamint; the deeply enriched birch will emit subtle flavors as you chew the toothpick leaving you with notes of the botanicals, extracts, and phenols that the toothpick was made with.
Daneson's direct relationship with trees is more deeply rooted than the production of their toothpicks, too. Daneson's 1:100 reforestation project is set to plant 100 trees for every one tree that is milled in their toothpicks production. In a statement on their site, Daneson explains that their first area of focus is on North American riparian zones and wilderness areas that have been lost and damaged from logging in the early 20th Century. "By focusing on these areas first, we are able to not only increase the total groundwater supply for cities in need, but also provide shade and food for water-loving animals," explains Daneson.
Why settle for an average toothpick when you can have a premium product that tastes better than the average all while helping the environment? Daneson's efforts have produced something truly unique. packs and boxes starting at $14, daneson.com
To get a better idea of Daneson and their products, we had a quick Q&A with their Founder and Executive Chairman, Peter Smith.
What inspired the idea behind these toothpicks?
PS: Before I had the idea for Daneson I was in the business of getting paid for giving advice and I really wanted to move into the business of getting paid for making and selling a ‘thing’. On this backdrop, out of the blue, the idea of a toothpick as a thing of value came to me. How that moment happened is a story for another time. Layer onto this a naive understanding of how much a toothpick company would cost to start I dove headlong into making toothpicks.
Why are you passionate about your 1:100 tree planting initiative?
PS: I’m passionate about what our 1:100 initiative represents. The way I look at it, it’s a middle finger to all those companies in the race to the bottom. So many companies have environmental ‘something’ that is, in effect, the lipstick on a pig. They say or do something fractionally good for the world around them to cover up overwhelmingly bad behavior or a product that is at odds with the environment.
Our view is, damn the torpedos - plant trees. Not only that but, plant trees where they won’t be harvested again. A typical forestry company plants at an unsustainable ratio of 1:2. That and if you noticed, the 1:100 is not something we really market ourselves with. It’s just something we do because it is the right thing to do. That’s it.
How has feedback on your product been so far?
PS: Overwhelmingly it has been positive. Occasionally we get people who want a Dorito flavored toothpicks but, thankfully, they’re few and far between.
How did you come up with the process for the flavoring of these toothpicks?
PS: It took years. The process is complicated and time-consuming. Frankly, had I known how difficult it was to flavor wood I would have reconsidered starting Daneson. It has been, very much, a death by a thousand blows endeavor. I would add, it’s also something we’re always refining.