THE NETHERLANDS AND CALIFORNIA, USA — Apeel Sciences, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and one of TIME Magazine’s 50 Genius Companies, and Nature’s Pride, Europe’s leader in avocados and mangos with a focus on sustainability, have officially joined forces. Subject to EU regulatory approval, Nature’s Pride plans to integrate Apeel’s plant-derived food waste prevention technology across its expansive avocado value chain, which will bring Apeel Avocados — avocados with double the edible shelf life on average — to European households for the first time.
The Apeel and Nature’s Pride partnership comes at a time when food waste in Europe has reached a staggering 88 million tonnes annually, with associated costs estimated at 143 billion euros,[1] and builds on Apeel’s successful introduction in the U.S., where the technology has demonstrated a greater than 50% food waste reduction at the retail level. As part of the partnership, Nature’s Pride and Apeel Sciences will introduce a co-branded label, a signal to consumers of quality, sustainability, longer lasting freshness, and thus, less food waste, made possible by Apeel’s technology.
“We put the health of people and the environment at the heart of all we do. We are constantly looking for improvements in our value chain to provide our customers with the highest quality and most tasty products. With Apeel, we share the same values: we are both pioneering and passionate about reducing food waste, and we want to work collaboratively with others to solve this problem. This makes Apeel the ideal strategic partner for us. We look forward to reducing food waste, unlocking new value for everybody in the supply chain, and growing the fruit and vegetable business with all of our partners together.” said Adriëlle Dankier, chief commercial officer of Nature’s Pride.
“Food waste is a massive global problem and with a strategic leader like Nature’s Pride, we can look to a future where there’s much less waste in the system, and we can advance sustainability together with benefits to everyone in the supply chain,” said James Rogers, chief executive officer and founder of Apeel Sciences. “Nature’s Pride and Apeel have the same vision for a future where our food systems operate more harmoniously with nature, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to work with them to take the food waste fight to Europe very soon.”
Avocado pilots are expected to start mid-year in select retail stores in Europe, subject to EU regulatory approval, and both companies are excited to offer European customers and consumers Apeel Avocados.
In support of Apeel’s expansion to meet demand, both domestically and around the world, Apeel Sciences has expanded the team supporting the company’s efforts and relationships with fresh food suppliers and buyers:
- Mike Tucker joins Apeel as Team Leader of Buyer Relations, overseeing the group who will work with retailers and wholesalers to grow existing Apeel programs and introduce new Apeel products to the market. Mike’s notable experience includes his most recent role as retail category manager with Sakata Seed and over a decade of buy-side experience with Target.
- Chayla Balko joins Apeel as a Senior Account Executive on the Buyer Relations Team. She brings over 15 years of experience in the food & beverage industry, working with retailers to build winning sales strategies. Her strong business development acumen and industry knowledge comes from her most recent roles with Golden Sun Marketing (Business Development Manager) and The Oppenheimer Group (Business Development Representative / Key Account Manager).
- Michele Visser returns to the produce industry as the Director of Supplier Relations for Apeel where she will work closely with the grower–supplier community to implement joint go-to-market strategies that unlock the value of Apeel. Michele most recently served as the Vice President of Sales for Aplos Software, and she brings a keen understanding of how to support grower-packer-shippers in their successful adaptation of new systems and technologies from her time as a Senior Account Manager for Famous Software.
Fresh food producers and retailers interested in Apeel’s technology can get in touch via the Apeel business form. To discover U.S. grocery stores that carry Apeel produce, please use Apeel’s store locator.
ABOUT APEEL PRODUCE
Every plant on earth has a peel or skin that protects it. From oranges to apples to tomatoes and raspberries, the materials found in the skins and peels of plants are ubiquitous and consumed in the human diet in high quantities every day. Using these same materials, Apeel’s plant-derived technology provides produce “a little extra peel” that naturally slows the rate of water loss and oxidation — the primary causes of spoilage. Apeel produce stays fresh two to three times longer, which promotes more sustainable growing practices, better quality food, and less food waste from farm to retail shelf to home. For suppliers and retailers, Apeel produce is the only produce that has an optimal microclimate inside of every piece of fruit, which leads to improved quality, extended shelf life, and transportability — without reliance on refrigeration, controlled atmosphere, or preservatives.
For more information, see the Apeel FAQ.
ABOUT NATURE’S PRIDE
Nature’s Pride supplies over 230 unique fruit and vegetables from 59 countries. From Ready-to-Eat and exotic fruit and vegetables to the delicious berries and off-season products. Together, with their partners, Nature’s Pride makes a difference every day. Nature’s Pride is dedicated to set the standard in the chain with tasteful products, high service, innovations and contribute to a better world. Sustainability is in the core of the business. Nature’s Pride developed a sustainable Business Plan according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The sustainable goals are set for 2023 to improve livelihoods, reduce food waste and reduce environmental impact.
For more information, visit www.naturespride.eu.
ABOUT APEEL SCIENCES
Apeel Sciences is a company that is fighting the global food waste crisis by utilizing nature’s tools to prevent waste in the first place — a sustainable approach to the world’s growing food demands. The company’s plant-derived technology helps fresh food growers, suppliers, and retailers improve produce quality and extend shelf life, which minimizes food waste from the farm to the retail shelf to the kitchen table.
Apeel Sciences was founded in 2012 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce postharvest food loss in developing countries that lack access to refrigeration. Today, Apeel formulations have been proven effective at reducing the rate of spoilage for dozens of USDA Organic Certified and conventional produce categories, and the company works with partners ranging from smallholder farmers and local organic growers to the world’s largest food brands and retailers.
Founded by CEO James Rogers, PhD, Apeel Sciences investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Viking
Global Investors, Upfront Ventures, S2G Ventures, Powerplant Ventures, DBL Partners, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, and The Rockefeller Foundation. The company is recognized as a 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a Frien d of Champions 12.3, a 201 8 CNBC Disruptor 50, and won a 201 8 AgFunder Innovation Award for its plant-derived technology.
Apeel is a trademark of Apeel Technology, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. Nature’s Pride is a trademark of [Nature’s Pride]. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
[1] European Commision / FUSIONS EU PROJECT 2016: Estimates of European food waste levels