Pasta Concept Makaria Uses Upcycled Wheat Waste For Packaging

Pasta typically gets made using wheat flour. As a type of grass, most of the wheat plant is inedible or undesirable as food, from the stalks to the outer husk, but those little bits that get milled and turned into flour are absolutely divine.

Some of it can get repurposed for other uses like livestock feed, but a recent pasta concept takes the agricultural wheat byproduct and turns it into packaging.

The concept brand, dubbed Makaria, features design from Alvaro Garcia, 3D work by Clara Vendrell, and creative direction by the duo. The fresh frozen pasta comes inside a molded, 2-piece container with a tear strip that connects the top and bottom. The top of the container features exquisite illustrations of the type of pasta, while the typography lends a classic, artisanal feel to the presentation. Copy explains that the pasta and its packaging come from the same plant and that while wheatstraw is inedible, by using it, Makaria diverts waste that reduces the product’s overall environmental footprint.

“I choose wheat straw for sustainability, and the packaging made from wheat waste is biodegradable,” Garcia said.

Given the popularity of pasta globally, packaging concepts like Makaria that are plastic-free, upcycle waste, and are biodegradable can serve as inspiration for more sustainable spaghetti, fusilli, and rigatoni. 

Images from AlvaradoDesign.