ROCKY MOUNT, NC - Food waste and food insecurity continue to be pressing challenges not just in our industry, but nationwide. With the purpose to "Revive Communities through Food," Ripe Revival is a vertically integrated grower, packer, shipper, processor, and nonprofit organization that touches every part of the food supply chain. Ripe Revival’s ambitious vision for the future of the food chain aims to harness food as a vessel to transform the lives of both consumers and producers, tackling food waste and food insecurity simultaneously.
“Each business plays a vital role in our mission to reconnect the food system, providing practical and creative solutions that empower every member of the food supply cycle from farmers and makers to nonprofits and neighbors,” shared Will Kornegay, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Ultimately, it’s about scaling our 100 percent utilization model to create a ripple effect where every part of the supply chain is strengthened—from farmers getting the best returns possible for the crops, to businesses having safe, fresh, and innovative product offerings and families gaining access to healthy food options. In return, communities are revived and sustained because of this holistic approach to providing solutions.”
Increasing support on the supply-side, Ripe Revival’s growers have the benefit of being able to utilize 100 percent of their crops, ultimately generating an average of $700-$1,000 in additional revenue per acre. The revenue generated on “excess” product that is typically left in the field can often cover a significant portion of production and/or harvest costs for the rest of the crop, Will tells me.
“We like to say Ripe Revival Bridges the Gap Between Farm Excess and Food Access, providing solutions to these macro-level waste and food insecurity issues by inviting everyone to play a role in becoming part of the solution as we work together to mitigate the micro-level issues along the supply chain,” Will added. “We all serve many types of communities along the way. Even through our nonprofit arm Ripe For Revival and its Mobile Market programs, we are taking fresh foods to food deserts where communities have dignified access to fresh and affordable foods. It is truly a closed-loop ecosystem where community drives solutions—and Ripe Revival is proud to be a facilitator in this model!”
As the company works to scale this model, Ripe Revival is diverting waste and transforming farmers’ bottom lines while getting perfectly edible food to communities. In addition, a percentage of all revenue is given back to non-profit programs that focus on food security, education, and change.
“If it were an easy fix, then we would not have the levels of waste and food insecurity we have in the U.S. today. However, persistence and maintaining dialogue around issues is paramount in driving impactful solutions,” Will insists. “We need to have hard conversations about the state of affairs in the industry, and we need to come together to work in unison to drive solutions.”
Supporting its growth, the organization recently received a North Carolina state grant to continue expanding its operation into value-added processing, resulting in the implementation of infrastructure that will improve its ability to serve its community—from the farm to the consumer and beyond.
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