Jenny Du

So thinking about replacing a standard waxing step, for example.

We've made good progress since those early days in the garage.

We've established a supply chain for responsibly sourced high-purity ingredients.

We've demonstrated safety and effectiveness to regulators in the US, the European Union and more than 40 additional countries around the world.

And while we're still relatively small and early in our journey, we have our presence in about 10 markets worldwide.

What I'm most proud of, though, it's why we got into all of this in the first place.

And that is that since 2021, when we started measuring, we've prevented 166 million pieces of produce from going to waste.

In doing that, that's avoided the emissions of more than 29,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to planting 485,000 trees

and saved almost seven billion liters of water, or enough to fill 2,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

What we're also excited about is the opportunity to add a little extra peel to help small growers get their unique varieties of fruits and vegetables to market with more confidence.

This is especially important in places that don't have widespread or reliable access to refrigeration, like with these regional mango varieties.

This could mean that a greater diversity of fruits and vegetables could be more available to more people.

The work, though, is far from done.

We've unfortunately encountered food and agriculture companies that have a really hard time seeing past the food waste status quo.

Shrink, as it's called in the industry, it's just accepted as a normal part of doing business.

And disappointingly, we've had some folks, producers, packers and retailers, tell us,

Well, the waste bin is kind of my best friend.

The more that people throw away, the more they have to come back and buy again.

So let's just say that's not what we expected when we first approached them to talk about extending the life and quality of fresh products.

But