SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (November 15, 2019) — Apeel Sciences, BB #:345580 a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and one of TIME Magazine’s 50 Genius Companies, is opening three satellite facilities in Peru, the Netherlands, and Mexico, in order to meet the global demand for Apeel produce.
To help facilitate the company’s expanding global presence, Apeel has also hired and extended roles of key executives with proven track records in supporting companies on an accelerated growth path.
The first of Apeel’s satellite office will be in the Netherlands, one of the world’s largest exporters of food and agricultural products, and will service all of Europe, following the European Commission approval in June.
Apeel’s second and third satellite office locations will be in Peru and Mexico, regions that have been eager to bring Apeel’s food waste prevention technology to farms and Apeel.
Apeel is also adding five new key executives to help spearhead the growth, as the total team headcount approaches 200 employees.
Additionally, the company currently has over 100 open career opportunities across three continents, including roles in Product & Strategy, Operations, and Engineering.
• Jason De Turris, Vice President of Brand. Jason joins Apeel with twenty years of marketing experience having previously worked with brands like Rolex, Jell-O, Xbox, American Express, and Naked Juice. He will use his experience building world-class brands to establish Apeel’s consumer brand and retail activation strategy worldwide.
• Viviane Schappo, Director of Supplier Relations, Latin America. Viviane comes to Apeel from C.H. Robinson, an organization with over $16.6B in sales. She will focus on driving the business development pipeline in Latin America and supporting Apeel’s partners and in-country implementation processes.
• Megan Opp, Chief People Officer. Megan has joined as Apeel’s first Chief People Officer to ensure that Apeel’s culture seamlessly scales as the company grows and continues to attract and retain top talent in the business, technology, and science communities.
• Bill Strong, Chief Financial Officer. Bill has been appointed CFO after helping Apeel raise $110M to-date and overseeing the growth of Apeel’s business from 30 to nearly 200 employees.
• Erich Klawuhn, Vice President of Product. Erich is chartered with bringing Apeel products to market and helping identify the opportunity for Apeel’s technology in new verticals. Previously, he was a VP at View Inc., the first company to successfully advance the large-scale commercialization of dynamic glass.
This comes on the heels of a coast-to-coast Apeel avocados rollout at Kroger, as well as Apeel produce tests in the UK with ASDA. Apeel, the company that has demonstrated a greater than 50% food waste reduction at U.S. food retail, now has its produce in over 2000 stores with request for its revolutionary, waste-reducing product globally.
Fresh produce suppliers and retailers interested in Apeel’s technology can get in touch via the Apeel business form. To discover supermarkets that carry Apeel produce, please use Apeel’s store locator.
ABOUT APEEL SCIENCES
Apeel Sciences 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 improve produce quality and extend shelf life, which minimizes food waste from the farm to the retail shelf to the kitchen table.
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. 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, 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 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a Friend of Champions 12.3, and a 2019 CNBC Disruptor 50.
Contact:
Apeel Sciences
Michelle Masek
Communications Advisor
Michelle.Masek@apeelsciences.com
