After used, is planted

A green pencil mark that can be planted after use, seeking partners in Brazil. The Danish Michael Stausholm is in Rio for the Olympics and want to produce in Brazil the product launched three years ago by Sprout World.
Conceived by three Americans who studied at the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT), the startup was created in 2012 and acquired by Stausholm in 2013. The company''s headquarters was set up in Copenhagen.
The product is part of a simple idea: each pencil produced with certified wood of Cedar receives in one end a seed capsule of spices (such as basil, cilantro and Mint), or vegetables (tomato and broccoli), fruits (strawberries is one of them) or flowers.
You can find the pencil in 12 colors. The capsule that holds the seeds of biodegradable plastic. Stay on the edge, which should be buried in a pot with soil and watered. Are 30 species of seeds available. Each pencil is sold for $ 2 a unit, in the United States. The company also produces cards made with biodegradable material that can be planted.
In an event held at the House of Denmark, on the beach of Ipanema, said Stausholm is not intended to "save the world", but I think it''s an opportunity to make people think of sustainability.
Since the launch, the Sprout comes doubling revenues every year, says Stausholm. He accounts for the sale of more than 2,500,000 of pencil in the last year and a half, in 60 countries. For 2016, predicts a profit of $ 4,000,000.
In addition to retailers, the Sprout has as clients companies like the Swedish Ikea, the French Suez and Veolia, the American Bank of America, Pepsi and Disney and the Italian Enel, among others. The list also includes the English newspaper "The Guardian". In three years, the company grew from 2 to 20 the number of employees and has just opened an Office in Boston.
So far, the United States is the only place where the pencils are produced outside Europe. The Amazon is the largest sales point. The plan is to make Brazil a launch pad in South America. "We got interested in Colombia, Peru and Argentina, as well as Spain and Portugal. Now, we want to find a partner for production, sales and distribution in the region ", says the Executive.
On the size of the American market, Stausholm says he was in doubt if I should choose to grow in the region or opt for Asia. After the trip to Rio, however the decision is by Brazil. "We know that we have many customers here," he says.