SANTA BARBARA, CA — Apeel, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and a 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50, announced a collaboration with Robinson Fresh®, one of the largest fresh produce distributors in the world, to expand the availability of Apeel’s longer-lasting produce throughout the U.S.
Starting in June, Robinson Fresh begins distribution of Apeel limes to Wakefern Food Corp., the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative that includes supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite Marketplace, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners.
Robinson Fresh and Apeel’s collaboration focuses on creating a more resilient fresh food supply chain, which ultimately supports both companies’ missions to reduce food waste and address climate change. By expanding the availability of more sustainable produce in the U.S., Robinson Fresh is furthering its commitment to reducing waste across the entire path to purchase—from the product itself, its packaging, to its delivery to retailers nationwide. At the same time, Apeel advances its mission to combat food waste at every step of the supply chain and make the food ecosystem better for growers, distributors, retailers, consumers and the planet.
“We are proud to work with Apeel to bring its line of longer-lasting produce into our distribution channel and expand its commercial availability to retailers like the Wakefern Food Corp banner supermarkets,” said Michael Castagnetto, President, Robinson Fresh. “Not only does this give consumers access to sustainable produce, but by introducing more time across the supply chain, Apeel’s technology increases our operational flexibility to get the produce to retailers while furthering our commitment to innovation and forward-thinking technologies that benefit our customers.”
“We’ve always been committed to providing our shoppers with the freshest produce available, and are excited to work with Apeel to offer a better, longer lasting lime at a great value. At the same time, we’re continually exploring new ways to improve the sustainability of the products we source, so that our shoppers can feel good that the fruits and vegetables they enjoy also help reduce waste and are better for the environment,” said Bryant Harris, Wakefern’s Chief Merchandising Officer.
“We are excited to be partnered with such innovative and sustainability-minded produce distributors and retailers to accelerate the commercial availability of Apeel’s longer-lasting produce,” said Michael Schaeman, VP of Sales at Apeel. “Robinson Fresh shares Apeel’s vision for more efficient supply chains so that we can move food through the system without seeing the insurmountable level of waste that has become ever more pressing to address.”
For business inquiries, visit apeelsciences.com/trade.
ABOUT ROBINSON FRESH
Robinson Fresh is the fresh produce sourcing and supply chain services division of C.H. Robinson, one of the world’s largest logistics platforms. As one of the largest fresh produce distributors in the world, Robinson Fresh helps grow and manage customers’ complex fresh produce businesses through its global suite of products and services. For more information about Robinson Fresh, visit www.robinsonfresh.co m.
ABOUT WAKEFERN FOOD CORP.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food
Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative comprises 50 members who today independently own and operate 362 supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people, and is one of the largest employers in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.
ABOUT APEEL PRODUCE
From strawberries to peppers, every fruit and vegetable has a protective peel or skin that nature uses to keep it fresh. Made from materials found in fruit, Apeel adds a little extra “peel” to the surface of fresh produce to slow water loss and oxidation (two factors that cause spoilage). Apeel produce stays fresh for much longer, so you have more time to enjoy it at its most delicious — and much less food and money is wasted. For suppliers and retailers, Apeel’s technology creates an optimal microclimate inside every fruit or vegetable, maintaining quality, extending shelf life, and transportability—with reduced reliance on refrigeration and controlled atmosphere. For more information, see the Apeel FAQ.
ABOUT APEEL
Apeel 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 maintain produce quality and extend shelf life, which minimizes food waste from the farm to the retail shelf to the kitchen table.
Apeel 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 investors include GIC, 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 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a Friend of Champions 12.3, and a 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50.
Apeel trademarks or registered trademarks of Apeel Technology, Inc. in the United States. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
