Asking for produce at its peak

Thirteen years ago, we were just a few nerdy, newly minted graduates in a Santa Barbara garage, at the cusp of our new found obsession with a problem that is everywhere amongst us but that most of us aren’t even aware exists.

We didn’t set out to build another “tech” company; we have believed all along that we can meaningfully fight food waste, fundamentally shift the consumer experience with fresh produce, and enable abundance (health, environmental, societal, economic) for all—simply by tapping into the inherent intelligence of nature and the power of plants.

Last year, standing on the TED stage, our obsession finally met its moment. It was our version of a long awaited “coming out party”: the first time we felt the weight and magnitude of the global food waste problem plus our mission finally found their fit with an audience that really cares, and via a platform with a reach of tremendous scale.

At the close of 2025, my talk was ranked among the Top 10 Most Popular TED Talks of the year. (Believe me…I was the most stunned of all!) Who were the others amongst that Top 10? Palmer Luckey from Anduril, Shahram Izadi (who leads XR and AR at Google), Carole Cadwalladr, Al Gore, and several other distinguished leaders, trailblazers, and visionaries. Sitting on that list alongside talks touching upon the latest breakthroughs in AI, current threats to democratic infrastructure, and related pressing matters of our time signaled to me that the fundamental challenges of what and how we eat remain far from resolved, and that what’s on our plates deserves as much attention and brain power as the leading neural networks and large language models of today.

After sharing with people the what, how, and why of Apeel, I often hear, “This sounds great…Why isn’t Apeel everywhere yet?”

We are relentlessly working to thread the needle between being the leaders of radical change while also seeking to earn our place as a trusted partner to players in an industry that seeks to put fresh food on our tables and keep their lights on. It’s a delicate dance.

Firstly, a lot of good has come from the work of the fresh produce industry to date (long before the founding of Apeel) to make a diverse selection of fresh produce more available to consumers all around the world.

And that’s been no small feat!

For starters, agriculture is incredibly hard. We’re collectively fighting perishability and seasonality (and more extreme weather events), labor challenges, rising costs for inputs and transportation, and more. It is a tight-margin yet essential world where an entire year’s crop—and families’ livelihoods—is potentially at stake every single season.

We also take responsibility for the complexity of this transition and our role in it, too, as we work to try and build new relationships amongst ones that have been in place for decades, reinvent and replace deeply embedded legacy practices (and chemical inputs), and fundamentally shift mindsets around a global infrastructure that currently ultimately favors the cosmetic appearance of fresh produce up until it reaches store shelves over flavor and shelf-life in our homes. (As it’s commonly acknowledged about human nature in this industry, “Consumers buy with their eyes.”)

And, all along the value chain, many players within the current “system” acknowledge that we’re working amongst an entanglement of conflicting interests and divergent priorities—and that trying to untie the knot is a nearly impossible feat.

Change is hard and slow because the industry believes we’re satisfied with the status quo.

Until they hear from more of us as consumers, they’ll never really know what matters to us.

The next time you’re at the store, ask the produce manager what (pre- and) post-harvest treatments are being used on their fruit. If they aren’t carrying Apeel, tell them you want the opportunity to experience produce at its peak—protected by nature, not by petroleum.

— Jenny

Food Fight is a space for honest conversation about the post-harvest industry, the challenges created by coordinated disinformation, and the work Apeel Sciences is doing to restore trust and choice in the food system. We focus on transparency, science, and American innovation, sharing updates, context, and insights that help explain what is on our food and why it matters. Our mission is to help build a future where consumers have clearer information, better options, and a food system that reflects both integrity and progress.

To learn more about Apeel, visit our website at apeel.com and follow our latest updates on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.