Foundation for Fresh Produce and IFPA Announce 2025 Cohort of Food and Ag Innovators for Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator

The Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP) and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) announced the newest cohort of companies selected to participate in the 2025 Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator, a flagship program designed to connect promising technology innovators with leaders from the fresh produce and floral industries. 

Launched in 2022, the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator continues to attract cutting-edge companies whose technologies address some of the most pressing challenges facing the global produce supply chain. The 2025 cohort represents a range of innovations focused on sustainable packaging, traceability, shelf-life extension, and food waste reduction. 

The 2025 Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator cohort includes: 

• Akorn Technology, Inc. – Berkeley, California. "Founded in 2019, Akorn Technology is an US AgriTech startup that develops 100% natural edible coatings. They reduce food waste throughout the produce supply chain and promote better nutrition for all by enabling the producers and retailers to deliver harvest-fresh, tastier and longer-lasting fruits and vegetables. Based in Berkeley, CA, Akorn Technology's mission is to reduce food loss in the supply chain."

• SAVRpak – San Juan Capistrano, California. "SAVRpak uses technology to fight food waste by extending shelf-life through the absorption of condensation. Founder Bill Birgen created SAVRpak to utilize thermodynamics to pull condensation from the air, thus preventing food from spoiling. SAVRpak is 100% chemical-free and food safe. The single-use packets are biodegradable." 

• Corumat – Yakima, Washington. "Corumat is the new name of Grow Plastics. They are on a mission to eliminate billions of pounds of plastic waste and reduce human greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1%. Corumat has a patented technology that allows users to replace solid plastic with 1/2 to 1/3 the plant-based compostable bioplastic, and also improve the performance of bioplastics. Their technology enables foodservice items and packaging that compete on price and performance with conventional plastic products. Corumat's goal is to have most of the world’s food waste and packaging recycled together."

• Kwik Lok Corporation – Yakima, Washington. "Kwik Lok is a multinational company producing billions of the small bag closures every year. We make bag closures for fully automated packaging lines as well as semiautomatic and hand applied closures."

• NAT4Bio Corporation– San Francisco, California. "Nat4Bio Corporation began with a simple yet ambitious idea—to rethink how to protect our food without passing a toll on the planet. They believe in mimicking nature's processes to change how we preserve food, leveraging biotechnology to do that at scale. At Nat4Bio, we are committed to reducing food waste, cutting down on harmful chemicals and single-use plastics, and lessening the environmental impact of agriculture through design and optimizing innovative biotechnological solutions."

• NNZ, Inc. (the Royal NNZ Group bv) – Lawrenceville, Georgia. "NNZ is an international company specializing in packaging for customers in the fruit and vegetable sector and industry. NNZ wants to create inspired packaging solutions for the shared success of our customers, suppliers and employees. They offer sustainable packaging solutions tailored to current and future customer needs, understanding our customer and supporting them with a leading portfolio in focus areas, and fast, responsive customized services and advice."

• PakItGreen Inc.– East Lansing, Michigan. "PakItGreen was founded with a shared mission to redefine packaging with sustainable, high-performance solutions. Recognizing the urgent need for alternatives to single-use plastics, we have developed a comprehensive range of innovative barrier coatings and additives for paper, paperboard, and molded fiber. Driven by innovation and industry expertise, PakItGreen's customizable solutions help CPGs, packaging converters, and paper manufacturers to create recyclable, compostable, and PFAS-free solutions that comply with evolving regulations, without compromising performance or cost efficiency. Through collaboration, they are paving the way for a smarter, more sustainable future for packaging. "

• Peelon™ – Austin, Texas. "Peelon™ is a B2B startup enterprise that brings solutions to the gaps in the global food supply chain industry by providing a patent-pending, 100% biodegradable packaging technology for a variety of fruits and vegetables. This application ensures that freshness, and shelf life is increased by up to 3x, and the use of conventional plastics is reduced. Peelon's mission is to counter the problems of food waste, environmental decay, and world hunger by implementing their unique product to the global food supply because our planet and future generations deserve to have a healthy and sustainable future. "

• Sway – San Francisco, California. "Sway seeks to extend the inherent generosity of the ocean by pairing the benevolence of seaweed with advanced materials science. They believe the next generation of materials can replenish life, from sea to soil. Their partners, from ocean farms to manufacturers, are catalyzing this progress. Together, we can usher in a new age of materials — one which creates reciprocity between business and our shared planet."

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service through the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports Initiative, which addresses non-tariff trade barriers facing U.S. exports of fruits, vegetables, and nuts to expand export opportunities for American farmers and businesses. 

Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

More information about the program and this year’s participants can be found on the IFPA website for the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator.