Detail

1. What led you to the idea of starting a collaboration with a biotech start-up company?

RW: «It was the topic of sustainability. Sustainability is not only an important topic for me personally, but also for our company. I am convinced that in our industry, which deals with the procurement of fruit from all over the world, we can make a significant contribution to this topic through innovative solutions. However, it requires both the will and a certain amount of perseverance. 

AgroSustain is a biotech start-up that is making great efforts to improve the shelf life and quality of fruit and vegetables. By developing a natural coating agent, the company has developed a post-harvest product that extends the shelf life of produce.

In AgroSustain, I recognised the potential to address two crucial areas of sustainability: Reducing food waste and CO2 emissions. Products still arrive in Europe by air freight, which leads to considerable CO2 emissions. This is particularly true for products with a short shelf life. 

Thanks to AgroSustain's solution, I recognised the possibility of switching from air to sea transport for various products in order to reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, applying the coating, if possible at the point of origin, would offer the opportunity to minimise product loss along the entire supply chain to the end consumer.

These considerations prompted me to start working with this biotech company.»

2. What is the biggest challenge in working with a start-up company?

RW: «The main challenge when working with a start-up is to quickly test the development steps in the real environment and adapt the concepts if necessary. Essentially, it is about developing the ability to scale up in order to take the idea from small scale to larger dimensions and beyond into growth.

This process takes a lot of time, often more than originally planned. It is one thing to have successfully realised an idea in the laboratory, but quite another challenge to successfully put it into practice in various application areas. In addition to the regulatory requirements, which initially and continuously pose a major challenge, it is also important to change awareness and to constantly emphasise and focus on the added value for the customer. This requires close dialogue with all parties involved.»

3. How does today's procurement of fruit and vegetables differ from the past?

RW: «In our industry, we are used to dynamism and short-term changes. However, this has increased significantly in recent years. 

Regulatory requirements regarding food safety and certification standards are increasing significantly and are placing increasing demands on us and everyone involved in the F&G industry.

The effects of climate change are also increasing. Cultivation areas are losing their production due to climatic changes, e.g. El Nino & El Nina. Compensating for these losses with products from other countries of origin is becoming increasingly difficult. Although we are acting with foresight and are already looking for alternatives, this requires additional resources.

In addition, logistical problems are occurring more and more frequently. In the past, occasional delays in the arrival of products from the countries of origin were normal. Today, this has almost become the rule.

With growing concerns about environmental impact and sustainability from customers and consumers, we need to find ways to make supply chains more environmentally friendly, whether by using sustainable farming methods or by reducing emissions through the choice of appropriate transport modes and routes.

Ultimately, the customer or consumer decides within fractions of a second at the point of sale whether to buy or not. In the process, the effort required to ensure the continuous freshness and high quality of the products is sometimes overlooked, while only the price is taken into account.

All of these challenges do not help to make products cheaper to procure.»