Latest news with #Freshr
Fibre2Fashion
16-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
DEV Invests in Canadian startup Freshr for sustainable food packaging
Diamond Edge Ventures, Inc. (President: Curtis Schickner, hereinafter 'DEV'), the corporate venture arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Manabu Chikumoto), has invested in Freshr Sustainable Technologies, Inc. (CEO: Mina Mekhail, hereinafter 'Freshr'), a Canadian startup pioneering sustainable active food packaging to extend shelf life and reduce food waste. DEV participated in the oversubscribed Seed round, led by Invest Nova Scotia, with participation from the BDC's Climate Tech Fund, Nadarra Ventures, and Blue Tide Capital Ventures. Diamond Edge Ventures, the venture arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group, has invested in Canadian startup Freshr, which develops sustainable active food packaging to extend shelf life and reduce waste. The funding, part of an oversubscribed Seed round, will support Freshr's tech scale-up and global growth, aligning with MCG's KAITEKI Vision 35 strategy. Founded in 2017, Freshr has developed a technology platform that enhances food packaging with natural active ingredients, extending shelf life and reducing waste throughout the supply chain. Freshr's proprietary approach enables more sustainable and functional packaging solutions by immobilizing these natural active agents onto plastic films. This financing round will accelerate Freshr's technology scale-up and global expansion. Curtis Schickner, President of Diamond Edge Ventures, said: 'Food quality preservation is a major pillar of Mitsubishi Chemical Group's KAITEKI Vision 35 strategy. We believe Freshr's technology platform, combined with MCG's expertise in packaging materials and food preservation ingredients, can drive meaningful innovation in food shelf-life extension for our customers.' Mina Mekhail, Co-Founder & CEO of Freshr, said: 'Partnering with Mitsubishi Chemical Group is a tremendous opportunity to scale our sustainable active packaging innovations globally. MCG's deep expertise in materials science and food packaging solutions will help us accelerate the adoption of our FreshrPack technology in the fresh protein sector.' Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada's Freshr completes oversubscribed seed investment round
Freshr Sustainable Technologies, a Canadian enterprise focused on eco-friendly active packaging solutions, has concluded an oversubscribed seed investment round. This funding is intended to enhance the company's manufacturing capabilities and support its expansion efforts. Invest Nova Scotia led this funding initiative, with several other investors such as Diamond Edge Ventures, Nàdarra Ventures, BDC's Climate Tech Fund, and Blue Tide Capital Ventures. Invest Nova Scotia investment principal Jen Fuccillo said: 'Freshr has developed a novel technology with substantial potential for reducing food waste on a global scale. 'By extending the shelf life of fresh proteins, Freshr's solution lowers the environmental impact of the food industry, extends freshness to enhance the quality of the food being consumed, and provides suppliers with precious extra time to reach market - all without added ingredients. This is a powerful value proposition.' The newly secured capital will also assist Freshr in turning existing partnerships into initial revenue streams. Furthermore, the investment will support the company's global expansion and strengthen its business and engineering capabilities. At the heart of Freshr's innovation is FreshrPack, a unique coating made from naturally sourced ingredients. This coating is designed to prevent spoilage bacteria, thereby prolonging the freshness of packaged products. The company has stated that this coating can be chemically bonded to various types of packaging films. These films include compostable, post-consumer recycled, and recyclable materials, aligning with sustainability objectives. FreshrPack is designed to integrate seamlessly into the fresh food supply chain. It is offered in three formats: sheet, roll, and bag, addressing the varied needs of industry participants. Freshr Sustainable Technologies founder and CEO Mina Mekhail said: 'It is extremely validating that this round was oversubscribed. 'We recognise the impact and influence of these investors and acknowledge the immense value in having investors who share our drive for global impact. They are critical to the company's strategic growth.' "Canada's Freshr completes oversubscribed seed investment round" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
National Post
13-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Freshr Sustainable Technologies Inc. (Freshr) Closes Oversubscribed Seed Round
Article content HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Freshr proudly announces an oversubscribed seed funding round, thanks to investments by Invest Nova Scotia, Diamond Edge Ventures, Nàdarra Ventures, BDC's Climate Tech Fund, and Blue Tide Capital Ventures. Article content Article content Freshr, a Canadian innovator in sustainable active packaging, is revolutionizing the fresh protein industry—starting with fresh fish—by extending shelf life and reducing food waste. With global food waste contributing to $2.6 trillion in annual economic losses and 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, Freshr's technology offers a crucial solution with both environmental and economic benefits. Article content At the core of Freshr's innovation is FreshrPack™, a proprietary coating made from naturally derived ingredients that inhibits spoilage bacteria and extends freshness. This advanced coating can be chemically immobilized onto various packaging films, including compostable, post-consumer recycled, and recyclable materials. Designed to integrate seamlessly across the fresh food supply chain, FreshrPack™ is available in three formats—Sheet, Roll, and Bag—to meet the diverse needs of industry stakeholders. Article content 'It is extremely validating that this round was oversubscribed. We recognize the impact and influence of these investors and acknowledge the immense value in having investors who share our drive for global impact. They are critical to the company's strategic growth,' articulated Mina Mekhail, CEO and Founder. Article content Invest Nova Scotia led this round of investment and had the following to say about why they chose to invest for a third time: 'Freshr has developed a novel technology with substantial potential for reducing food waste on a global scale,' says Jen Fuccillo, Investment Principal, Invest Nova Scotia. 'By extending the shelf-life of fresh proteins, Freshr's solution lowers the environmental impact of the food industry, extends freshness to enhance the quality of the food being consumed, and provides suppliers with precious extra time to reach market – all without added ingredients. This is a powerful value proposition.' Article content 'Food waste and food insecurity are pressing global challenges, and tackling them is central to Nàdarra's investment thesis,' notes Malcolm Fraser, Managing Partner of Nàdarra Ventures. 'Freshr's naturally derived active packaging technology significantly extends the shelf life of high-value proteins, ensuring safer, fresher food while reducing waste at every stage of the supply chain. By solving this issue in a new way, Freshr is not only cutting economic and social losses but also reshaping the future of sustainable food packaging. We're excited to support Mina and the Freshr team as they bring this breakthrough technology to market.' Article content This round of investment will enable Freshr to ramp up manufacturing, convert existing partnerships into early revenue, expand its presence globally, and strengthen the team's business and engineering expertise. Article content Curtis Schickner, President of Diamond Edge Ventures, observes, 'We believe that the future of packaging lies in smart, sustainable solutions that extend food freshness while reducing environmental impact. Freshr's cutting-edge approach to active and sustainable food packaging aligns with Mitsubishi Chemical Group's emphasis on minimizing food loss throughout the supply chain. We look forward to supporting Freshr as they scale their technology and bring active food packaging to market.' Article content 'More than one third of all fresh proteins are wasted, either in transport or on retail shelves,' says Matt Stanley, BDC's Climate Tech Fund. 'With Freshr's innovative, low-cost, and drop-in antibacterial coating and active packaging technology, it can reduce spoilage of fresh proteins across the supply chain, thereby reducing the amount of organic waste. By minimizing food waste, Freshr is helping to build a better and more sustainable food chain.' Article content Freshr Sustainable Technologies is a Canadian company that develops sustainable active packaging solutions to extend the shelf life of fresh proteins. Our purpose is to innovate a zero-food waste future using advanced materials. Our vision for 2030 is to redefine the fresh protein sector globally by delivering 500 million pounds of fresh proteins using our innovative shelf-extension FreshrPack™ technology. For a closer look into our innovative solutions, and commitment to a brighter waste-free future, visit Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contacts: Article content MJ Leslie mj@ +1 902-499-2797 Article content Megan Savary megan@ +1 902-237-9886 Article content Article content Article content
