Wahaca: A Deliciously Sustainable Solution To Keep Tacos HOT

Wahaca is on a mission to create the most insanely delicious Mexican food, while treading as lightly as possible on the planet. 

This mission is what led to Wahaca’s collaboration with Deliveroo and BioPak – a joint effort that combines sustainability, innovative custom packaging solutions, and the highest-quality Mexican food.

First launching in 2007 following a MasterChef win and time spent in Mexico, Wahaca now has 13 restaurants sprawled across the UK. 

The Wahaca difference? Not only are they committed to bringing the most delicious flavours of Mexico to life – they’re one of the leading sustainable restaurants in the UK. 

They take an innovative approach to sustainability, including: 

• Introducing carbon ratings to their menus (source) 
• Their recent “taking a break from steak” initiative (source). 
• Becoming carbon neutral in 2016 
• Committing to a 60% vegetarian menu

So, it may come as no surprise that here at BioPak, we’re thrilled to partner with a foodservice business that shares our commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

Deliveroo is a renowned online food delivery platform that has revolutionised the way people order and receive meals from their favourite local restaurants. 

With a user-friendly mobile app and website, Deliveroo connects customers with a wide selection of restaurants, offering an extensive range of cuisines to suit all different tastes and preferences.

Excitingly, Deliveroo also shares our values of environmental responsibility. Deliveroo Packaging joined forces with BioPak to provide sustainable packaging solutions for the food delivery industry. Learn more about our partnership here.

The goal? To make sure their customers can enjoy delicious food that’s delivered to them in the most safe and environmentally friendly way. 

With so many different types of food available on the Deliveroo App, BioPak delivers packaging solutions to all of Deliveroo’s restaurant partners. BioPak can also create fit-for-purpose custom packaging solutions, and that’s exactly what we did for Wahaca.

The crucial challenge with taco delivery is keeping the corn tortillas hot and all of the fillings and sauces inside the tacos.

The problem? They’re nowhere near as delicious after they cool down. So, the Wahaca team asked the question. How can we deliver tacos that are still piping hot – while being as sustainable as possible?

With that, the Wahaca, Deliveroo and BioPak teams came together to think of an innovative solution to address this problem.

The crucial challenge with taco delivery is keeping the corn tortillas hot, while ensuring the fillings and sauces stay securely in place.

Wahaca’s previous solution, kraft paper food boxes with corrugated inserts, just wasn’t cutting it. They lacked the functionality needed for delivery, often causing tacos to cool down before delivery (which significantly impacts the taste) and there was nothing in the box to hold them in place. So, the Wahaca team asked an important  question. How can we deliver tacos that are still piping hot – while being as sustainable as possible?

With that, Wahaca teamed up with Deliveroo and BioPak to create innovative packaging swaps that balance sustainability with functionality. 

Working together with Wahaca and Deliveroo, BioPak came up with a certified compostable custom taco packaging solution! The first of its kind on the UK market. 

BioPak’s Custom BioCane Trays are plastic-free and made from rapidly renewable sugarcane pulp, a by-product of the sugar refining industry. The end result is a certified home compostable (NF T51-800) taco tray – just throw it in your backyard when you’re finished and it’ll biodegrade over several months.

The best bit – Wahaca tacos are now delivered fresh and piping hot.

Wahaca’s previous solution lacked the functionality needed for delivery and didn’t effectively showcase their commitment to sustainability. Working together with Wahaca and Deliveroo, BioPak came up with a certified compostable custom taco packaging solution! The first of its kind in the UK market. 

Wahaca’s Custom BioCane Taco Trays are plastic-free and made from rapidly renewable sugarcane pulp, a by-product of the sugar refining industry (that would otherwise be burned). The end result is a certified home compostable (NF T51-800) Taco Tray with a lower ‘eco-cost’ than their old packaging. 

The best bit – Wahaca tacos are now delivered fresh and piping hot.

Wahaca’s old kraft paper takeaway boxes were often used for meals like nachos, quesadillas and burritos – however just like their tacos, this solution had poor functionality for deliveries and didn’t showcase their commitment to sustainability. 

BioPak’s Rectangular BioCane Containers and Lids are plastic-free and made from rapidly renewable sugarcane pulp, a by-product of the sugar refining industry (that would otherwise be burned). The result is a certified home compostable (NF T51-800) Container with a lower ‘eco-cost’ than their old packaging, designed to hold dishes like Quesadillas and Crispy Cauliflower Bites. 

Wahaca’s old PLA Bowls were used to serve a range of salads and sides on their menu. While PLA is often considered a sustainable solution (PLA is made from plant-based resources and industrially compostable) there are now functional and effective home compostable solutions on the market, with a lower ‘eco cost’ than PLA.

BioPak’s BioCane Square Containers and Lids make the ideal sustainable swap for sides like guacamole – they’re plastic-free and made from rapidly renewable sugarcane pulp, a by-product of the sugar refining industry (that would otherwise be burned). The lids are certified home compostable (NF-T51-800) and the square bases are pending home compostable certification. 

By swapping their conventional foodservice packaging for  Custom BioCane Taco Trays andBioCane Square and Rectangular Takeaway Containers, Wahaca has furthered their sustainability commitment. 

Since partnering with Deliveroo and BioPak:

• The weight of their packaging has been reduced by 42%
• They’ve avoided 9 tonnes of plastic from going to landfill
• They’ve reduced their carbon emissions by 69%
• They’ve reduced their packaging costs by 37%

At BioPak, we’re proud to support like-minded foodservice businesses that share our commitment to the environment and social accountability.

This is a great example of how a few simple packaging swaps and custom designs can lead to a functional, sustainable and purpose-built solution – responding to Wahaca’s mission to create the most insanely delicious Mexican food, while treading as lightly as possible on the planet. 

Feeling inspired? You can make sustainable swaps for your business, too. Just start by looking at the most common items in your takeaway bag. 

By implementing Custom BioCane Taco Trays, Wahaca has furthered their sustainability commitment.*

Since partnering with Deliveroo and BioPak:

• The weight of their packaging has been reduced by 42%
• They’ve avoided 9 tonnes of plastic from going to landfill
• They’ve reduced their carbon emissions by 69%
• They’ve reduced their packaging costs by 37%

At BioPak, we’re proud to support like-minded foodservice businesses that share our commitment to the environment and social accountability.

This is a shining example of how Deliveroo restaurant partners can work with the innovative design team at BioPak to come up with a purpose-built solution.

*These figures are based on annual quantities of packaging used by Wahaca. We have used emission factors provided by the third party that calculated BioPak's 2022 footprint (available upon request). These projections compare BioPak BioCane Tacos Trays and Lids with Wahaca's previous packaging, also supplied by BioPak.