Apeel Sciences
Unicorn · $2B24 known investors
Apeel Sciences develops plant-based coatings derived from fatty acids and glycerides—ingredients naturally found in plant peels and seeds—that are applied to fresh fruits and vegetables to extend shelf life, preserve flavor and nutrients, and reduce reliance on refrigeration, pesticides, waxes, and plastics. The company serves produce suppliers and retailers seeking sustainable solutions to reduce food waste across the supply chain.
Also known as Apeel · Edipeel
Founders & leadership
Investors · 24
Also in the syndicate · 7
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountSeries FOct 2025
Andreessen Horowitz (lead), S2G Ventures, Upfront Ventures
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Valuation · disclosed
Disclosed eventsSource: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed — follow each entry's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Apeel Sciences is an American food technology company based in Goleta, California, that develops edible coatings applied to the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables. The coatings use fatty acids and glycerides — specifically mono- and diglycerides in the company's Edipeel formulation — that are the same class of materials found in the peels, pulp and seeds of plants. Applied as a thin layer, the coating reinforces the produce's natural cuticle, retaining moisture while allowing oxygen to pass out, which the company says allows produce such as avocados and citrus to last roughly twice as long and reduces reliance on refrigeration, pesticides, waxes and single-use plastics.
The formulation can be adapted for strawberries, mangoes, apples, bananas, kumquats, citrus and asparagus, among other categories. Regulatory clearances allow Edipeel to be used on all fruits and vegetables without restriction in Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and South Africa, and on a defined list of fruits — avocados, citrus, mangoes, papayas, melons, bananas, pineapples and pomegranates — in the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Beyond coatings, the company expanded into produce quality data through its 2021 acquisition of ImpactVision, which applies hyperspectral imaging to individual pieces of produce moving through the supply chain in order to optimize routing.
Founding story
Apeel was founded in 2012 by James Rogers, who began the work after receiving a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at reducing post-harvest food waste in developing countries lacking refrigeration infrastructure. Rogers worked with Lou Perez and Jenny Du, who met while conducting postdoctoral research at UC Santa Barbara, on the premise that the fatty acids and glycerides making up the plant cuticle could be reapplied to produce surfaces to protect against moisture loss, oxidation and infection.
Business model
Apeel sells its post-harvest coating technology to produce suppliers and works with retail partners; application equipment is installed at supplier facilities where produce is packed into boxes. The company describes co-creating supply networks together with supply and retail partners, and has extended its offering toward data and insights on produce quality following the ImpactVision acquisition.
Revenue is derived from supplying its coating products and installed application systems into produce suppliers' packing operations serving retail customers.
Traction
As of August 2021 the company reported preventing 42 million pieces of fruit from going to waste at retail since 2019, including up to a 50% reduction in avocado food waste with corresponding sales growth, and conserving nearly 4.7 billion liters of water. It had a presence in eight countries with 30 supply networks and 40 retail partners. Cumulative impact figures published on its website cover the period since 2021.
Latest developments
The company continues to publish sustainability impact figures covering the period since 2021 and has publicly addressed a coordinated online disinformation campaign concerning its products, founders and mission, directing readers to a facts and safety FAQ and a letter from CEO Luiz Beling.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Apeel is one of the most heavily capitalized companies working on post-harvest food waste, having raised more than $635 million and reached a $2 billion valuation in 2021, alongside other venture-backed food supply chain companies such as Shelf Engine, Imperfect Foods, Mori and Phood Solutions.
The product is positioned as an alternative to fruit waxing and single-use plastic packaging, using ingredients that occur naturally in food fats and have been used as food additives since the 1930s. The company publishes its product ingredients beyond what labeling laws require and states its sustainability impact has been third-party validated under ISO 14044 life cycle analysis methodology.
Technology
The core technology is an edible, tasteless and odorless coating composed of mono- and diglycerides derived from plant materials, engineered to slow moisture loss and gas exchange in produce. Early research-stage manufacturing described in GRAS submissions and patents used solvents including ethyl acetate and heptane and palladium as a catalyst; the company has since moved to standard, non-solvent-based industrial manufacturing of mono- and diglycerides. The company also uses hyperspectral imaging, acquired with ImpactVision, to assess produce quality at the individual-item level and optimize supply chain routing.
Go-to-market
The company installs application systems at supplier packhouses and partners with retailers, who then distribute Apeel-protected produce to their stores; as of August 2021 it operated 30 supply networks and distributed produce to 40 retail partners reaching tens of thousands of stores.
Produce suppliers, packers and grocery retailers handling fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly avocados and citrus.
Geography
Headquartered at 71 South Los Carneros Road, Goleta, California. As of 2021 the company had a presence in eight countries and was expanding availability in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Its coating is regulatorily permitted in markets including Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
History
Founded in 2012, the company received an additional $985,161 from the Gates Foundation in August 2015, followed by venture backing from Andreessen Horowitz and ATEL Capital Group. In June 2018 it was named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, and in August 2018 it appointed former Whole Foods Market co-CEO Walter Robb to its board of directors. It raised a $250 million Series D in May 2020 and a $250 million Series E in August 2021 at a $2 billion valuation, bringing total capital raised to more than $635 million. Earlier in 2021 it acquired hyperspectral imaging company ImpactVision. In spring 2023 the company became the subject of an online disinformation campaign about its products. James Rogers, previously CEO, is listed as founder, with Luiz Beling serving as CEO.
Risks & controversies
Beginning in spring 2023 Apeel was targeted by an online disinformation campaign that conflated its coating with a similarly named household cleaning product, overstated Bill Gates' involvement (the Gates Foundation provided early grant funding but Gates holds no stake), claimed the coatings were toxic, and asserted heavy metals were intentionally added — a claim based on misreading historical GRAS notices that do not reflect current manufacturing. Regulators including the US FDA and other global agencies have affirmed the safety of the products. Historical R&D-stage documentation described the use of solvents such as ethyl acetate and heptane and palladium catalysts, which the company states are no longer part of its manufacturing process.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Apeel Sciences for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsBeginning in spring 2023, Apeel was targeted by a coordinated online disinformation campaign that conflated its coating with a similarly named cleaning product and made false claims about product toxicity and heavy metals.
Temasek led a $250 million Series E round valuing the company at $2 billion, bringing total funding raised since 2012 to over $635 million.
$250M source ↗
Apeel acquired ImpactVision to add hyperspectral imaging systems that assess individual pieces of produce as they move through the supply chain and optimize routing.
Apeel announced the appointment of former Whole Foods Market co-CEO Walter Robb to its board of directors.
Apeel received a grant of $985,161 from the Gates Foundation, following an earlier $100,000 grant that supported the company's founding work on post-harvest food waste.
$985.2K source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Apeel Sciencesapeel.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Apeel Sciences do?
- Food technology company making plant-derived edible coatings that extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Who founded Apeel Sciences?
- Apeel Sciences was founded by Lou, James Rogers, Jenny Du.
- Who are Apeel Sciences's investors?
- Apeel Sciences's investors include 3cubed Ventures, A-Rod Corp, AgFunder, Andreessen Horowitz, Bild Alternative Investments Corporation, DBL Partners, Doon Capital, GroundForce Capital and 9 more.