Apeel Sciences logo

Apeel Sciences

Challenger

Plant-derived edible coating that extends produce shelf life by 2–3x, cutting food waste; raised $250M Series F; deployed at Kroger, Edeka, and other major retailers; ~$4.2B valuation.

Best for: Food Waste Reduction Technology
52
AI Score
Grade C
AI Visibility Score (Beta)
Food, Beverage & AgTechFood Waste Reduction TechnologyWebsiteUpdated October 2026

Company Overview

About Apeel Sciences

Apeel Sciences is an agricultural technology company that develops plant-derived edible coatings that significantly extend the freshness and shelf life of fresh produce. Founded in 2012 by James Rogers and headquartered in Goleta, California (near Santa Barbara), Apeel's technology mimics the natural protective layer found on the skin of fruits and vegetables. The coating — made from the lipids and glycerolipids found in grape skins, tomato skins, and other plant materials — is applied to the outside of produce after harvest, slowing water loss and oxidation that cause spoilage. The result is a 2–3x extension in usable shelf life without refrigeration changes or preservatives.

Business Model & Competitive Advantage

Apeel has raised over $620M in total funding, including a $250M Series F round backed by investors including GIC (Singapore's sovereign wealth fund), Andreessen Horowitz, Viking Global Investors, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The company has achieved unicorn status with a valuation of approximately $4.2B. Apeel's technology has been deployed on avocados, citrus, cucumbers, apples, and other produce at major retailers including Kroger, Edeka (Europe), and Albertsons, where retailers using Apeel have reported up to 50% reduction in unsold produce and 5–10% growth in category dollar sales. Apeel operates in both North America and Europe, with growing presence in additional markets.

Competitive Landscape 2025–2026

Food waste represents a $1 trillion global economic problem and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (decomposing food in landfills produces methane). Apeel's coating addresses the supply chain — extending the window between harvest, distribution, and retail — while also reducing reliance on refrigeration energy. The company competes with alternative shelf-life extension approaches including modified atmosphere packaging and cold chain optimization, but its non-refrigeration, easy-to-apply coating has attracted broad retail adoption as a practical and scalable solution to fresh produce waste.

Founded
2012
Headquarters
Goleta, California
Curated content • Fact-checked and verified

Key Differentiators

Strong Challenger

Apeel Sciences is an established challenger with significant market presence and competitive offerings in Food, Beverage & AgTech.

Frequently Asked Questions

Estimated Visibility Trend (Beta)

Simulated 8-week rolling score

52
→ Stable

Based on estimated brand signals. Historical tracking coming soon.

Similar Brands

Daring Foods logo

Daring Foods

Food, Beverage & AgTech
B2cAgricultureStartupScaleupNorth AmericaPlatformGlobal

Daring Foods is a plant-based chicken company founded in 2018 by Ross Mackay and Eliott Kessas that produces non-GMO, high-protein plant-based chicken alternatives designed to mimic the taste, texture

Climate FieldView logo

Climate FieldView

Agriculture
AgricultureAi PoweredB2bGlobalManufacturingSaas

Climate FieldView is a digital agriculture and precision farming platform — owned by Bayer AG (ETR: BAYN) as a subsidiary of The Climate Corporation (which Bayer acquired through its $63 billion Monsa

John Deere Operations Center logo

John Deere Operations Center

Agriculture
B2bAgricultureManufacturingIotGlobalPublic

John Deere Operations Center is Moline, Illinois-based Deere & Company's cloud-based farm management platform — integrated within the John Deere precision agriculture ecosystem and available as part o

Trimble Ag Software logo

Trimble Ag Software

Agriculture
AgricultureB2bGlobalManufacturingSaasPublic

Trimble Ag Software is the precision agriculture software division of Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ: TRMB) — a Sunnyvale, California-based positioning and workflow technology company with $3.7 billion in annua

Granular logo

Granular

Agriculture
AgricultureB2bManufacturingSaas

Granular is an agriculture farm management software platform that provides data-driven tools for farmers, agronomists, and agricultural enterprises to manage field operations, track crop performance,

McDonald's logo

McDonald's

Consumer Food & Beverage
B2cFortune500GlobalManufacturingPublicServices

McDonald's Corporation is a Chicago, Illinois-based global fast food restaurant operator and franchisor — publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MCD) as a Dow Jones Industrial Average a

For Apeel Sciences

Claim This Profile

Are you from Apeel Sciences? Claim your profile to see full AI mention excerpts, get weekly visibility change alerts, and optimize how AI systems describe your brand.

Claim Apeel Sciences Profile →
For competitors & analysts

Track AI Visibility in Real Time

Monitor how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude mention Apeel Sciences vs competitors. Get alerts when AI recommendations shift.

Start Free Tracking →