WHAT IF THE AVOCADOS AT THE GROCERY STORE WERE ALWAYS PERFECT?
Every day food is wasted due to a lack of data in the supply chain. At Strella Biotech, we use novel technology to predict where the ripest fruit is so that packers can send produce down the supply chain before it is spoiled.
Apples, for example, are stored after being picked for up to one year in packing facilities to accommodate for consumer demand. Each packing facility has about 100 storage rooms, and packers do not know where the ripest fruit is located. As a result, packers lose up to $10 million in spoiled fruit annually.
We are working on adapting our technology to help retailers make better decisions about which grocery store to send fruit first. Currently, 23% of all produce is spoiled in the hands of retailers – a number we hope to make a big dent in.
The idea for Strella came from a personal frustration with the quality of produce in local grocery stores – our team started by asking grocery store managers the problems they faced with their inventory, and eventually moved up the supply chain where the largest impact could be made.
FUNDING WOULD ALLOW US TO…
We are working on expanding our initial market in packing, where fruit is stored, and developing towards servicing retail distribution. Funding would help us in our expansion efforts to decrease the 40% of fresh produce that is wasted before it reaches the hands of consumers.
We have already saved more than 1,000 tonnes of fruit from spoiling and funding would allow us to make an even bigger impact.
Our technology can also help reduce the CO2 emissions generated by waste, as well as the 7% of global freshwater supply and the 2% of global energy spent on food that is never consumed.
