According to Joseph Talbourdet, director of marketing and business development for Topline Farms, the company’s push for plastic-free packaging solutions is retailer driven.
“We’ve looked at everything from compostable to recyclable to paper products,” he says, “but unless a retailer is ready to tell a story, then it is not going to work.” Talbourdet says Topline Farms’ strategy is planned ahead so that when a retail partner is ready for a change, they are prepared.
Topline’s current push is a partnership with Apeel Sciences that removes single-use plastic packaging from their mini cucumbers. Debuted in March at the Southern Exposure Trade Show, the mini cucumbers are coated with an “edible, plant-based coating that extends the shelf-life of fresh fruits and vegetables by keeping moisture in and oxygen out, ultimately preventing waste.” It’s the second time Topline has worked with Apeel on this technology; English cucumbers were the first crop sold with the coating.
The push for this came from Canadian grocer Loblaw’s disdain for the plastic used to package cucumbers, Talbourdet says.
“We’ve been working with Loblaw for nearly 25 years,” he says, “and at one of their events, someone from one of their stores stood up and said that the worst product in the store for [too much plastic] is the three-count cucumber.”
Normally, cucumbers are individually wrapped in plastic and then put in another shrink film and then there’s a plastic label put on it, Talbourdet says.
Growers need to help retail partners tell a story through their products and packaging. — Joseph Talbourdet
“When they told us it was the worst item for fresh packaging in the store, that started us down the path of finding solutions,” he says. “And it’s needed, right? Because the respiration rate of a cucumber is so high and it’s almost 90% water. So you do need something because it will lose its shape and its crisp in a matter of hours, as soon as the air touches it.”
Apeel previously worked with tomato grower Houweling’s, so there was proof of concept for greenhouse-grown product, according to Talbourdet. Apeel has crops such as avocados and organic apples in its portfolio, as well. Through trials, Topline found that the sciences lived up to the billing in terms of removing the need for plastic. It also extends shelf life; the mini cucumbers, for example, last three days longer with Apeel versus in plastic. They also hold up better in transportation.
“It’s ridiculous how great it is,” he says, “and it’s a turning point in how I think some of the produce industry and some of the items will have extended shelf life and reduce plastic.”
Retailers, Talbourdet says, have also responded well to Apeel because they can now offer more sustainable products that last longer. He says Topline plans to partner with Apeel going forward on different crops, which has received great responses from retailers. Next up: sweet bell peppers.
“Anything retailers can tell in the stories and tell their consumers about in terms of sustainability and product that lasts longer is a win,” Talbourdet says.
