This Innovation Extends Life of Fruits & Veggies Without Fridge, Cuts Spoilage by 90%

Did you know that India wastes around 40 percent of its fruit and vegetable produce? When Chennai native Deepak Rajmohan stumbled upon this fact, he was horrified and wanted to do something about it. 

With this intention, the 29-year-old returned from the US, where he was working in a company, to his homeland. He travelled through different villages in Karnataka to understand why so much produce is going to waste. A reason, he found, was that farmers could not afford expensive cold storage. 

After three months of extensive research, he launched Green Pod Labs in May 2020. He developed a cost-effective packaging solution that uses natural plant extracts to activate the inbuilt defence mechanism to slow down the ripening rate. It also minimises microbial growth which extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

A year later, he got innovator Vijay Anand on board as co-founder. The duo is now working towards realising their dream of making India waste-free. 

The innovation is made in the form of eco-friendly sachets that are kept with the products to increase their shelf life. “Apart from this, helping the farmers get a better price for their products and making fresh food veggies/ fruits available to customers are other factors we thrive for,” says Vijay. 

Talking about the pricing of the sachets, Deepak shares, “The price of sachets will depend upon the type and quantity of the produce. For example, one kilogram of mango can be stored in a sachet worth Rs 5; for capsicum, it is Rs 4/kg; for tomato Rs 1.25/ kg; for strawberry Rs 15/ kg and so on.”

The duo claim that their innovation has cut down the spoilage of fruits and vegetables to 90 percent. 

Find their innovation interesting? Watch this video to find out more: 

Edited by Divya Sethu