Renewable Resource

Austicks products are made from plantation timber – Australia’s Renewable Resource

Hoop Wood's Special Features:

Austicks products are made using Hoop Wood. Hoop wood does not produce resin and therefore can be used for cooking utensils, ice cream sticks and chop sticks without tainting food. Hoop wood has no odour and is taste-free. The timber is even textured and predominately coloured light beige. Hoop wood meets all strength requirements for a wide range of automatic stick inserters.

With the aid of modern processing techniques, Austicks takes advantage of these natural physical properties to produce ice cream sticks with smooth surfaces and edges.

Stringent laboratory tests conducted in Europe confirm Hoop wood used in the production of ice cream sticks, coffee stirrers and other products has no taste or odour. Hoop Ice cream sticks are safe to use in contact with ice cream and ice water.

HOOP WOOD AT A GLANCE
Colour	White to light beige
Taste	No taste
Odour	No odour
Density	560kg/m3
Strength	1000kg/cm2
Hardness	480 Janka
Prone to splinter	No
Smoothness	Excellent finish achievable
Efficiency of use in stick inserters	High
Availability	Readily available plantation timber
Comparison with other timbers	A most suitable substitute for sticks

More about Australian Hoop Wood:

Australian Hoop wood (araucaria cunninghamii) is native to North Eastern Australia. The tree is known as Hoop because its bark often comes off the log in rings or hoops. It is commercially harvested in plantations controlled by the State of Queensland Government and has sustainable forest management certification AFS/01-21-03 recognised by PEFC. Harvesting is sustainable, providing timber for the future. No pesticides are used in the Austicks plantations.

Trees selected for ice cream stick production are over 50 years old. Areas harvested each year are replanted the following year, guaranteeing continuing long-term supplies of timber to Austicks fifty years later.

Hoop wood has been used in Australia commercially as early as the 1920’s to store milk products. Hoop ice cream sticks are being used extensively in many countries on a wide range of ice cream packaging lines.

Very importantly, Hoop wood ice cream sticks decompose naturally after being discarded and exposed to the elements.