PURESPACE Brings Fresh Perspective to Reducing Food Waste
PURESPACE is using their innovative technology to decrease food waste and preserve the freshness of produce. The new Rev member company is working to create a more sustainable future by purifying the air in cold chain facilities that store fruits and vegetables, thereby extending the shelf life of the products.
We sat down with Sunyoung Lee, CEO of PURESPACE, to learn about the technology and discuss what’s next for the startup.
What is the “origin story” behind your company?
We have developed a catalyst system with excellent ethylene removal efficiency. Ethylene contributes to color change, softening and rotting of fresh fruits and vegetables, which significantly reduces shelf life and results in food waste. We found that the food industry could greatly benefit from technology that works to keep ethylene levels to a minimum.
What customer need is your company attempting to address?
PURESPACE is working to address the huge food loss that occurs during storage and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables. When ethylene and airborne microbes cause produce to lose its freshness, the resources used to grow that food also go to waste. Our technology allows food to stay fresher longer by purifying the air the food is stored in. This means fewer resources are lost, in addition to providing better quality food for the buyer and better returns for the seller.
Do you have any recent company milestones or accomplishments you would like to share?
Most recently, we have had a major retailer adopting our technology in its supermarkets and distribution center. We have also been named finalists at Grow-NY and the Walmart Food Safety Collaboration Center.
Where do you envision your company a year from now? Five years from now?
One year from now, we’re looking to accomplish proof of concept (POC) with US supermarkets. Demonstrating that our product works as intended in these environments will show that PURESPACE technology is a valuable investment.
Five years from now, PURESPACE will continue contributing to reducing world food loss through usage of our devices in trucks, export container shipping and storages. In addition to being adopted by more retailers, PURESPACE technology will expand its representation in a variety of contexts, including distribution centers and wholesale settings.