The Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP) and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) announced in a news release its 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.
The associations said the groundbreaking initiative is presented in partnership with Clemson University, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), and USDA. It is part of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s $10 million Sustainable Packaging Innovation Lab, launched through the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative.
Launched in 2022, the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator attracts cutting-edge companies with technologies to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the global produce supply chain. The organizations say the 2025 cohort represents a range of innovations focused on sustainable packaging, traceability, shelf-life extension and food waste reduction.
“Each year, we bring together a diverse group of innovative companies with real products that are on the forefront of food and ag innovation,” said Vonnie Estes, vice president of agfood tech innovation for IFPA. “This cohort exemplifies how technology can be a powerful catalyst in addressing key industry issues in packaging solutions, replacing single-use packaging economically and sustainably while meeting worldwide import and export regulations.”
Throughout the program, the organizations said cohort participants will engage directly with produce and floral industry leaders to explore how their technologies can be adapted or scaled for industry use. A highlight of the program is the showcase at The Global Produce & Floral Show this October in Anaheim, Calif.
“This program opens doors for collaboration and innovation that benefit the entire supply chain,” Estes said. “We’re excited to welcome these companies into the produce industry community and look forward to the impact they’ll make.”
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service supports this project through its 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.
The 2025 Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator cohort includes:
- Akorn Technology, Inc – Berkeley, Calif.
- SAVRpak – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
- Corumat, Inc – Yakima, Wash.
- Kwik Lok – Yakima, Wash.
- Nat4Bio Corporation – San Francisco, Calif.
- NNZ Inc – Lawrenceville, Ga.
- PakItGreen, Inc – East Lansing, Mich.
- Peelon – Austin, Texas
- Sway – San Francisco, Calif.
