The Instone Group, based in Durango, Colorado, is an entrepreneurial company with the flexibility and creativity to pursue new ventures. In 1999, Dr. Joe Bowden began developing a new type of compostable material to replace paper, plastic and Styrofoam trays and packaging in food services industries. A new company, called New Ice, Inc., was created to focus efforts on completing the development and marketing of the new class of compostable products, called Verdepack.