Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Burntwood, Staffordshire, It’s Fresh! is a global food technology business that helps extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the entire food supply chain to reduce waste and optimise produce quality.
It has secured a £6.7 million investment led by BGF – one of the largest capital investors in the UK and Ireland – and Zintinus, a German-based venture capital fund, alongside existing investor Praesidium.
It’s Fresh! has commercialised and further developed applications for the patented technology which controls the impact of ethylene emitted by fresh produce, and which ultimately controls the rate of ripening, and the eating quality of that produce. The company’s technology slows the rate of ripening and can be applied across the supply chain from harvest through to transit, to in-store fruit containers, making fresh produce safer, more available, and affordable for growers, distributors, retailers, and consumers.
In contrast to existing technologies that either completely block ripening and flavour development permanently, have insufficient capacity for ethylene removal, require high levels of capital, or are unsafe for direct food contact, the It’s Fresh! solution overcomes all these issues to deliver a cost-effective solution which is easy to implement.
The combined investment will be used to support the business’ global growth strategy and expansion into new markets, as well as the development of new solutions such as using the company’s unique technology within modified air packaging bags.
Commenting on the investment, Rob Ward, CEO of It’s Fresh!, said: “Our ground-breaking technology rises to the challenge of reducing food waste across the supply chain. We not only deliver shelf-life extension, which reduces waste, but at the same time enable our customers to deliver optimal quality to consumers. We’ve already generated significant traction across our core markets in USA, South America, and Southern Africa, so this latest investment round comes at a pivotal time for the business, setting us up to scale rapidly and fulfil our potential as global leaders in innovative solutions tailored to fresh produce.”
