SME drinks company identifies market for leftover fruit

© Alena, #176105897, 2018, source: stock.adobe.com

Information

Impacts:
Sustainability Waste
Sector:
Manufacture of food, beverages and tobacco
Size of company:
Micro (less than 10)
Advancement in applying resource efficiency measures:
Beginner

Giving wonky fruit a new lease of life

  • Options explored for reusing waste from an SME drinks company
  • New markets identified for surplus fruit
  • Opportunities identified for 111 tonnes of apple pomace, otherwise sent for animal feed, to be developed into high-value products

Cardiff-based, high-growth drinks company Flawsome! (formerly Get Wonky) has not only given a new lease of life to surplus and misshapen fruit but has also, with the help of WRAP Cymru, identified new markets for the apple pomace/pulp that remains after the juicing process. Flawsome! produces apple-based fruit juices from misshapen or surplus fruit that would otherwise be sent for compost, anaerobic digestion or animal feed.

Flawsome! has been operating since September 2017 and in its first year has generated 111 tonnes of apple pomace. This was given to a local pig farm, free of charge, as animal feed.

WRAP Cymru supported Flawsome! by exploring opportunities to develop high-value products from their pomace in order to diversify. The options were categorised into three broad process methods, and three product and branding types:

1.             Minimal processing - e.g. use as anaerobic digestion feedstock

2.             Drying and milling into chunks/flakes/powders

3.             Cooking into different products, often with a sieving stage (e.g. apple pomace leather and jams)

A total of 17 options were researched, evaluated and narrowed down to four - apple rings, cider, pectins, and flavoured teas. The four options were then further developed into detailed business cases, outlining processing requirements, market research and the associated operational and capital costs for plant and machinery.

Key results

In 2015, in the global market for pectin, the average price exceeded € 13.5/kg ($ 15), with over 60 000 tonnes on the market and a global value close to € 0.9 billion ($ 1b.). The pectin market is anticipated to reach € 1.7 billion ($ 1.9 b.) by 2025.

The research identified that Flawsome! could use their pomace waste to manufacture a simple, liquid pectin product or a higher value dry powder. It could then be sold into the next stage of the supply chain or as a retail product in its own right. 

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