1st Gene-Edited Produce for U.S. Retail Coming Soon
A new differentiated produce category player is entering U.S. retail. Health-focused food and agriculture company Pairwise has partnered with national retail broker RSquared Fresh Solutions to bring the first CRISPR gene-edited products in America to retail across the western United States. The first product from Pairwise's Conscious Greens, a field-grown baby leaf blend of purple and green leaves, launched in the foodservice channel in May. According to Pairwise, the RSquared partnership signals continued momentum as the products enter retail in the coming months.
CRISPR is a technology that can be used to edit genes. According to Pairwise, its Conscious Greens come from the same family of highly nutritious vegetables as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale, but have been developed to deliver a unique fresh-flavor experience through the use of CRISPR technology, so that consumers never have to choose between healthy and delicious. Pairwise noted that the result is a blend of purposefully nutritious, deliberately delicious leafy greens with up to double the nutrition of romaine.
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Pairwise’s partnership with RSquared Fresh Solutions will play a crucial role in Conscious Greens' retail sales and store coverage. The fast-growing produce-focused retail brokerage boasts a wide network of grocery retailers nationwide, offering opportunities for future expansion. With their combined expertise and reach, the partnership is well positioned to bring Conscious Greens to shoppers seeking innovative nutrient-dense options in the salad aisle.
“We are excited to partner with such a market leader in the retail distribution industry,” said Neil Merritt, VP of sales at Durham, N.C.-based Pairwise. “The partnership will greatly enhance our retail presence from Denver to the Pacific coast.”
“There’s a lot of opportunity here,” said Jeff Kyer, western U.S. representative for RSquared Fresh Solutions, a division of Irvine, Calif.-based Advantage Solutions, a sales, marketing and technology company. “We can’t be more excited to leverage our network to ensure that the innovative products coming from Conscious Foods reach customers.”
Conscious Greens are field grown in California and Arizona with grower partners and are processed with a packer-shipper partner in Santa Maria, Calif., for distribution. Pairwise is developing a complete portfolio of innovative fruits and vegetables for the North American market, with new varieties of greens, berries and cherries in the pipeline.
