SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA ??— Apeel Sciences, recently named a ?2018 CNBC Disruptor 50?, today announced Del Rey Avocado Company is supplying Apeel avocados to Costco Wholesale (COST) stores in the U.S Midwest. Additionally, Apeel avocados supplied by Eco Farms are now available at Harps Food Stores, an Associated Wholesale Grocers chain of supermarkets in the Midwest. The announcement marks the company’s first U.S. fresh food supplier and retail partnerships and an important moment in the battle against the $2.6 trillion dollar per year global food waste crisis.
The U.S. retail food sector generates eight million tons of waste annually in distribution centers and stores, or $18 billion a year in lost value for retailers. What’s more, Americans throw away more than 4002pounds of food per person, costing a household of four an average of $1,800 annually. Apeel is the first3plant-derived solution for extending produce shelf life, which dramatically reduces food waste at the supplier, retailer, and consumer levels. Additionally, since avocados with Apeel maintain quality and optimal ripeness twice as long, without requiring the use of refrigeration or preservatives, it’s now possible to bring better quality avocados to supermarkets across the U.S.
“We’re excited to be working with exceptional partners as they share our vision of a food system that provides better quality food for all and less waste. With our partners, we believe we can increase the availability and accessibility of high quality, nutritious produce while simultaneously preserving our natural resources and environment,” said James Rogers, CEO and Founder of Apeel Sciences.
“Del Rey Avocado is excited to provide the first Apeel Avocados to Costco. Del Rey Avocado takes pride in ensuring that the highest quality avocados make it to the consumer each and every time,” said Jessica Hunter, Vice President of Production for Del Rey Avocado Company.
HOW APEEL WORKS 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. Made of these same materials, Apeel adds a little extra peel to the surface of fresh produce that naturally reinforces the plant’s own peel and slows the rate of water loss and oxidation — the primary causes of spoilage. Produce with Apeel 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 is the only plant-derived post harvest solution that creates an optimal microclimate inside of every piece of produce, which leads to improved quality, extended shelf life, and transportability — without requiring refrigeration, controlled atmosphere, or preservatives.
For more information, see the ?Apeel FAQ?.
ABOUT APEEL SCIENCES
Apeel Sciences is a company that’s 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 USDA Organic Certified and conventional 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.
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 infrastructure (i.e., a cold chain). 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, DBL Partners, Upfront Ventures, S2G Ventures, Powerplant Ventures, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation. The company is recognized as a ?Friend of Champions 12.3? and a ?2018CNBC Disruptor 50?, and recently won a ?2018 Ag Funder Innovation Award? for its plant-derived technology.
Visit ?Apeel’s website? for information on the company’s partners and partnership inquiries.
1 FAO, ?Global Cost of Food Waste?, 2018.
2 reFED, ?Retail Food Waste Action Guide?, 2018.
3 NRDC, ?Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill?, 2017.
Source: Apeel Sciences