How to Host with Maaterra: Compostable Tableware for Gatherings That Look Good

Friends are coming over, and you want the table to look like you tried (a little). What you don’t want is a sink full of plates, cups, and forks at the end of the night.

Enter Maaterra’s compostable tableware: plates, cold cups, napkins, utensils, and straws that look good on the table and make cleanup much easier. The right mix depends on your menu, your guest count, and how everyone will be eating.

This guide walks through what to choose for a seated dinner, brunch, picnic, or backyard gathering, and how Partytrick members can take 15% off.

Meet Maaterra

Maaterra is a woman-owned, family-run company that makes tableware for gatherings and everyday entertaining. Its collection includes palm leaf plates, plant-based cold cups, cotton napkins, bamboo utensils, and bamboo straws. Each item has its own materials and disposal guidance, so skim the product page before you add a pack to your cart.

‍

What Maaterra Pieces Do You Need for Your Gathering?

Start with what you’re serving. A guest sitting down to a plated dinner needs something different than a guest wandering the backyard with a drink and two appetizers.

For a seated meal

Plan on a dinner plate, napkin, utensils, and cup for each guest. Maaterra suggests its 10-inch plate for dinner or a large lunch, and the 12-inch can double as a charger, a buffet plate, or a platter.

If the meal includes salad, bread, or dessert, decide whether each course needs its own plate. One smaller plate can often do double duty when the menu and timing allow.

For drinks and appetizers

Go smaller. Maaterra suggests its 6-inch plate for small appetizers, bread, and dessert, and its 8-inch plate for larger appetizers, salad, or a small lunch.

Put cocktail napkins near the food and cups at the drink station. Maaterra’s cups are currently designed for cold drinks, so plan something else for coffee or tea. Set out straws only if the drinks call for them.

For a buffet or backyard gathering

Choose plates based on how much food guests will carry. Add utensils for anything that’s hard to eat by hand, and put napkins in a few spots so no one has to cross the serving line to reach one.

Give drinks their own station so nobody stalls the food line to refill a cup. Stock it with cups, a marker or drink tags, and a small bin for used straws and napkins.

Before you order

Count your confirmed guests and add a small buffer for seconds, dropped pieces, and late additions. Then check that number against the pack counts on each product page. An extra pack is smart when it covers a real need, but you don’t have to overbuy every category.

‍

Know what you need? Now plan the rest.
A free Partytrick account gives you a Playbook for your gathering, with a timeline and invitations you can send in one place, plus an exclusive 15% off Maaterra. Playbooks are free with an account.

Create your free account.

‍

Three Gatherings That Work Well with Maaterra

1. A backyard dinner

A backyard dinner goes smoothly when the menu is easy to serve and the table is ready before anyone arrives. Choose one main dish, two sides, and a dessert you can make ahead. Then set up water and one other drink on a separate table, so guests can help themselves and you can stay at the table.

At each place, set a dinner plate, a napkin, utensils, and a cold cup. If people will drift between the table and the yard, keep extra napkins and cups near the drink station. For a dinner that’s big on conversation and low on pressure, try the Al Fresco Dinner Party with Grüvi Playbook, an elevated outdoor dinner of shared plates and nonalcoholic wine that you can adapt to your menu.

‍

2. A celebratory brunch or shower

The secret to an easy brunch is giving everything its own spot. Line up the buffet the way guests will move through it, with plates first, then food, then utensils and napkins, and put the coffee somewhere other than the cold drinks so nobody gets stuck in a crowd.

An 8-inch plate works for a lighter spread, and a 10-inch plate suits a bigger meal. Cold cups handle the juice, water, or batch drinks, and cocktail napkins belong near the pastries. If you want a daytime celebration with lots of color, start with the Chic Sunday Brunch with Goldie Home Playbook. It’s free with a Partytrick account, and you can change anything to fit your guests.

‍

3. A picnic or casual outdoor party

For a picnic, every item needs to travel in, work without a dining table, and travel out again. Choose food that can be portioned before you leave or served using a single utensil. Avoid sauces that make a plate hard to hold on a lap.

Pack plates in a rigid container so they stay flat. Bundle utensils and napkins together, then bring separate bags or bins for food scraps, compostable items, recycling, and trash. For a picnic with a little indulgence, try the BYOC Picnic with Modern Picnic x The Caviar Co. Playbook, a simple, social afternoon built around blinis, bubbles, and a tin of caviar.

How to Make Compostable Tableware Feel Like Part of the Table

Disposable doesn’t have to look disposable. With a few easy choices, compostable plates and cups can look like part of the design, not an afterthought. Here are four ways to make your table look styled, even though there’s nothing to wash.

Pick a star. One patterned Maaterra plate can do the decorating for the whole table, so everything else gets to be simple.

Steal its colors. Pull one or two shades from the plate into a napkin, a little vase, or a bowl. A few echoes look designed. Matching every piece just looks busy.

Ditch the packaging. Salad in a bowl, sandwiches on a board, drinks in pitchers. Same food, but now it looks like you meant it.

Set up the line like a pro. Plates first, then food, then utensils and dinner napkins at the end, with cups by the drinks. Guests flow, and nobody’s balancing a plate and a fork at once.

Cleanup and Composting

The best time to figure out where the plates go is before anyone is holding one. Start with a quick check of what your local compost program accepts, because “compostable” on the label doesn’t guarantee your city will take it.

Maaterra says its tableware is designed to be compostable, but the plates, cups, napkins, utensils, and straws are made from different materials, so each one has its own timing and disposal guidance. Read it for whatever’s in your cart.

Then put a clearly labeled bin where guests actually finish eating: by the buffet, by the yard exit. If your program won’t take something, decide where it goes now, not at midnight. For backyard composting, follow Maaterra’s guidance for each item, since breakdown times vary.

‍

Plan the Gathering with Partytrick

The best way to buy tableware is to plan the gathering first. Once you know who’s coming and what you’re serving, the shopping list practically writes itself. Here’s the order that works:

1. Pick the gathering and a Partytrick Playbook that fits it. You’ll start with a plan instead of a blank page, and Playbooks are free with a Partytrick account.
2. Create your gathering and set the date.
3. Add your guest count, menu, and serving style. That tells you how many plates, cups, and napkins you need.
4. Shop the Maaterra pieces that match. You’ll know whether you need full place settings, small plates and cups, or something sturdier for a buffet before anything goes in your cart.

Sign up free and start planning your gathering.

Your Partytrick Perk: 15% Off Maaterra

Maaterra makes compostable palm leaf plates, cups, and napkins in designs that make a table look styled, with nothing to wash afterward. Partytrick members get a code for 15% off. Create your free account to see it.

‍

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Maaterra make?

Maaterra makes everything you need to set a table without the dishes: palm leaf plates, plant-based cups, cotton napkins, bamboo utensils, and bamboo straws. The plates come in seasonal designs, from fall acorns to summer crabs, and Maaterra can even etch custom monograms on them. Each product page lists the sizes and pack counts, so you can see exactly what’s in the box.

Are Maaterra plates compostable?

They are, and that’s a big part of the appeal. Maaterra’s palm leaf plates are designed to be 100% compostable, so they can go in a backyard bin or a commercial program once the last bite is gone. Expect about 3 to 6 months commercially and up to 12 at home. A quick check of your local rules will tell you whether your city’s program takes them. Maaterra’s sustainability page has the details.

What tableware do I need for a dinner party or brunch?

For a seated dinner, plan for a dinner plate, napkin, utensils, and cup per guest, then add smaller plates if the menu includes a separate salad or dessert course. For brunch, choose the plate size from the menu, and place cups at separate cold- and hot-drink stations.

Can I use Maaterra for an outdoor gathering?

Yes. The collection includes pieces suited to backyard dinners, picnics, and other outdoor events. Think through how guests will carry food, where drinks will be served, and how used items will be sorted at the end.

How do I get the Maaterra discount?

Create a free Partytrick account to see your code for 15% off Maaterra. Then shop their compostable tableware and enter the code at checkout.