From the Golf Course to the Factory Floor
It started on the green. Dillon Baxter and Maxime Blandin were teammates on the Southern Methodist University (SMU) men’s golf team, traveling the country for tournaments. Between classes and competitions, they noticed a recurring problem in every coastal city they visited: paper straws that fell apart and "compostable" plastics that required special factories to decompose.
Frustrated by the lack of viable alternatives, the two decided to take matters into their own hands. In 2020, just months before graduation, they founded PlantSwitch with a bold mission: to replace petroleum-based plastic with a solution that actually works.
The "Soggy Straw" Epiphany
"We hated paper straws," says Baxter, now CEO of PlantSwitch. "We appreciated that there was an effort to reduce plastic waste, but we thought it could be done a lot better."
The duo realized that existing bioplastics, like corn-based PLA, failed for two reasons:
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Performance: They often melted in heat or snapped under pressure.
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Disposal: They required industrial composting facilities, meaning most ended up in landfills where they wouldn't break down.
Leveraging Maxime’s background in distribution and Dillon’s finance degree, they developed CompostZero™ technology. By upcycling agricultural waste—specifically agave fibers and rice husks—they created a resin that mimics the durability of plastic but breaks down in a backyard compost pile.
Overcoming the COVID-19 Hurdle
The road to success wasn't a straight shot. PlantSwitch officially launched in February 2020—weeks before the global pandemic shut down the restaurant industry.
With no customers and mounting pressure, Dillon considered taking a safe investment banking job he had lined up after graduation. "I remember telling Maxime that I’m not doing this," Dillon recalls. But Maxime convinced him to keep pushing. They hustled through the lockdowns, going door-to-door to sell their sustainable cutlery to Dallas restaurants.
That persistence paid off. What started with three clients grew to over 300 nationwide in just over a year.
Scaling Up: The Move to North Carolina
Today, the dorm-room idea has evolved into a manufacturing powerhouse. PlantSwitch recently secured over $19.5 million in funding and a $4.94 million USDA grant.
To meet the demand from Fortune 500 partners, the company opened a 52,000-square-foot facility in Sanford, North Carolina. This plant is capable of producing 50 million pounds of bioplastic resin annually, turning American agricultural waste into a high-performance solution for the world's biggest brands.
A Future Without Forever Waste
Recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Baxter and Blandin are just getting started. Their goal isn't just to sell straws; it's to overhaul the entire plastics supply chain. "We envision a world where zero-waste capitalism is possible," says Baxter. "Products that are used for seconds shouldn't last for centuries."
SMU-TV features PlantSwitch: SMU-TV features PlantSwitch
This video is relevant because it features an interview with the founders, Dillon Baxter and Maxime Blandin, specifically discussing their time at SMU and the early days of PlantSwitch.