Ventana is among the first companies to adopt Cruz Foam as their packaging material. They are using Cruz Foam’s chitin-based packaging for our Save-A-Surf Box, ensuring the protection of this unique surfers’ tool kit during shipping.
The second most abundant biopolymer in the world, chitin makes up the shells of most crustaceans, like crabs, shrimp, lobsters and many land insects as well. It’s strong, stable, circular, and very plentiful.
This patented bio-benign material matches the technical specs, insulative characteristics, and protective 
qualities of petroleum-based EPE (expanded polyethylene) all at a similar price.
Ventana worked with Cruz Foam to create a custom packaging solution for use inside an EcoEnclose recycled and recyclable box.
THE SAVE-A-SURF BOX + CRUZ FOAM
If you’re a surfer, you know how important it is to protect the ocean and the environment. You also know how frustrating it can be to deal with melted wax, broken fins, or lost screws when you’re out in the water.
Ventana created the Ventana Save-A-Surf Box – a unique tool kit that helps you save your surf session from disaster with all the little things you need and often forget, like fin screws, Allen wrench, wax comb/scraper, leash cord, XXL bar of surf wax…even a bottle opener, compass/sundial, guitar pick, and ruler. It keeps your car clean and your wax from melting into your floor or seats. It can be personalized with engraving that’s meaningful to you or for the surfer in your life. It’s the perfect surfer gift that is sure to be cherished for years to come.
But what makes the Save-A-Surf Box even more special is the eco-friendly packaging from Cruz Foam that they are now using for shipping.
By sending the Save-A-Surf Box in Cruz Foam packaging, they are not only providing a useful and hand-crafted product for surfers, but also supporting a local and innovative company that is making a positive impact on the planet. Cruz Foam and Ventana are showing how surfing can be a force for good and inspire others to follow suit.
ABOUT CRUZ FOAM
Cruz Foam was founded in 2017 in Santa Cruz, California. It stemmed from a research project at UC Santa Cruz led by the two co-founders, John Felts and Marco Rolandi. The two were working with an extremely interesting biopolymer called chitin – the second most abundant biopolymer in the world. Chitin makes up the shells of most crustaceans, like crabs, shrimp, lobsters and many land insects as well. It’s strong, 
stable, circular, and very plentiful.
They found that this biopolymer showcased unique properties, particularly in its strength-to-weight ratio. As ocean lovers and avid surfers, they identified an opportunity to make a bio foam material to replace the petroleum-based foam in surfboards.
John and Marco quickly realized that this regenerative material could have a greater impact beyond just surfing…and transitioned their efforts to displace single-use plastics in the protective packaging and cold-chain industries.
Fast forward 6 years, Cruz Foam now has a patented bio-benign material that matches the technical specs, insulative characteristics, and protective qualities of petroleum-based EPE (expanded polyethylene) all at a similar price.
Cruz Foam has received $18M in funding from investors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher and are in the process of piloting their first products in market with other Santa Cruz based companies such as Verve Coffee, Real Good Fish, Farm Cottage Winery and Ventana Surfboards. Cruz Foam aims to replace EPS and other plastic foams in various industries, such as packaging, cold chain, e-commerce, and beyond.
