California-based Apeel Sciences announced an agreement with Houweling’s Group, a greenhouse grower, propagator and marketer of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, to replace the single-use plastic wraps on its English cucumbers with Apeel’s plant-based technology, thus reducing food and plastic waste at the same time.
Apeel’s plant-derived technology — made of materials that exist in the peels, seeds, and pulp of all the fruits and vegetables we already eat — provides produce with a little extra “peel” that slows the rate of water loss and oxidation, which are the primary causes of spoilage. Apeel creates an optimal microclimate inside produce that travels with it from farm through consumption and doubles or triples its shelf life.
"We are so excited to partner with Houweling’s Group knowing that sustainability is built into the fabric of their organization and we have the same mission of reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills every year,” said Gordon Robertson, chief revenue officer at Apeel Sciences. “Our growing network of suppliers is committed to using our technology to deliver longer-lasting produce, but we are incredibly proud to see Houweling’s utilize our technology as a way to replace the use of plastic wrap which will ultimately eliminate thousands of pounds of plastic waste per year.”
Houweling’s Group is a family-owned, year-round produce grower with facilities in Camarillo, CA, Mona, UT, Loveland, CO, and Delta, BC. The company is committed to sustainable innovation and its vision is based on the principles of environmental soundness, economic feasibility, and social equity. Houweling’s achieves its vision by generating solar electric power, conserving water, minimizing pest and plant disease, and providing hundreds of year-round jobs.
“We have a rich history of investing in green business practices, leading the industry to a more sustainable future, which is why Apeel is the perfect partner to help achieve our goals in protecting the planet,” said David Bell, chief marketing officer at Houweling’s Group. “We saw an opportunity with Apeel’s unique plant-derived solution that has proven to reduce food waste, but when we recognized Apeel could be used as a complete replacement for the functional plastic wrap on cucumbers, we became really excited. With the launch of Apeel-treated Houweling’s cucumbers, we will be addressing a significant pain point for environmentally conscious consumers. This enables us to bring sustainable solutions to our retail partners and create a pathway to significantly reduce plastic from the supply chain.”
Houweling’s Group partners with top retailers on the west coast and its produce can be found in leading membership-based club stores, national grocery chains, and regional grocers in the western U.S. Apeel cucumbers will be available soon to retailers who share the goal to meet consumer demand to move away from plastic.
Approximately 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters into the oceans annually. According to the United Nations Environment Program, only 9 percent of all plastic waste produced has been recycled, confirming the need to cut down on plastic use at its source. Apeel’s technology will reduce single-use plastic waste on Houweling’s English cucumbers by over 60,000 pounds per year.
Last month, Apeel announced that U.S. retailers would soon have year-round access to Apeel fruits and vegetables that stay fresh up to two to three times longer than untreated produce. Apeel’s supplier partnerships will enable a consistent supply of Apeel avocados, limes, asparagus, and apples — and now cucumbers — for U.S. retailers and consumers.
