Bon Appetit!

Ashley Currie always knew she wanted to have her own business someday. She knew she wanted to blend her marketing skills with her love of people. So last August, she did just that when she launched iHospitality, an eco-friendly flatware and tableware business.   

Though born in Nashville, Currie moved to Chicago where she graduated in 2003 from Northern Illinois University with a marketing degree. She moved back to Nashville after graduating and worked for Caterpillar Financial and later the Scarritt-Bennett Center. While there, she helped produce corporate events, which ultimately started her on her entrepreneurial path. “I was working on the hospitality side helping to make their events more eco-friendly,” Currie says. “In my research, I saw that there wasn’t a direct supplier for only eco-friendly goods.”

Currie’s uncle composted waste for as long as she can remember, and recycling was something she was taught to do at a young age. While she doesn’t consider herself a green fanatic, she’s very aware of the benefits of and just how easy it is to recycle. Currie explains, “For me, I wanted to be more aware of the environment when I could with small steps.” So when she saw the need for a direct supplier of recyclable wares in Nashville, she started iHospitality to provide eco-friendly products to companies and individuals in Middle Tennessee.

iHospitality carries a variety of products including plates, bowls, flatware, specialty containers, and cups. All are made from cornstarch, sugar cane, and 100 percent post-consumer recycled paperboard, and Currie knows how well they hold up because she tests them all before they ever go on the market. “I want to make sure that before I sell anything to my clients that I’m confident in what I’m selling,” she says.

Where Currie really fills the void is in who she sells to. You don’t have to be a big company; Currie sells to individuals, too. That means you can use eco-friendly bowls and plates at a picnic, or use the specialty containers at a wedding reception or family reunion. Plus, the iHospitality line is surprisingly   affordable, especially compared to top disposable brands.

When you compost Currie’s line of eco-friendly items, you not only keep trash out of  landfills, but you’re nourishing the earth as well. The products’ nutrients, when released back into the ground, help plants and vegetables grow faster and stronger. If you can buy cheaper, smarter, and still have a high-end looking product, it’s truly a win-win.
And Currie is all about a win-win. She loves working with people and she knows that her business is helping her community. “In Nashville,” she says, “we continuously take strides to be more environmentally minded. If you have kids, teach them how to recycle. Educate others. If you can educate people to make better choices in what they buy or what they recycle, we can see a decrease in the landfills. It’s hard to do everything, but it’s easy to do something.”

Currie loves that she’s making a difference. And even though having her own business is challenging at times, she wakes up every day grateful for this opportunity. She laughs, saying, “I’m blessed, and a different kind of stressed.” Her advice to anyone wanting to start their own business is simple, “Pray about it and make sure that you are 115 percent invested in your vision. It’s not for the weak-at-heart.” She also says to make sure you are meeting a need in your community, because while it’s not all about money, you have to sustain yourself. And if you can sustain yourself while sustaining your community, that’s even better.

Learn more about iHospitality at iHospitalityTN.com.