Cultivating fruit is essential to nourishing and sustaining life on Earth, and a crucial aspect of this process lies in how we store and transport it from farm to table. Currently, significant energy is wasted every harvest cooling and storing fruit due to the inefficiencies of standard packaging systems. These systems do not make the best use of storage environments, leading to a reduction in fruit quality and the excess use of energy resources.
This leads to the question: what if we could do this better?
Lozano Group, a Sprout Accelerator Spring24 cohort team of siblings, saw this problem as an untapped market in horticulture packaging, tackled it, and developed a revolutionary solution - all with the goal of designing the best fruit box in the world.
By incorporating F1 aerodynamics into a portfolio of reusable composite material boxes tailored to different fruits, growers can store fruit better, use fewer global resources, and contribute to sustainability. The quality of the fruit is maintained during long-term storage, all the while contributing to a circular economy.
This is a win-win-win scenario for growers, packhouses, and consumers.
Meet the founders, Raquel, Carlos, and Liliana Lozano. An optimistic and innovative trio of siblings, each bring essential skills to the table:
Raquel Lozano, CEO: a PhD student in Food Technology at Massey University with a focus on mathematical modelling for sustainability. She is passionate about preventing food waste and driving sustainability. Her key roles in the venture include pitching, stakeholder communication, and leading the company's overall direction.
Carlos Lopez-Lozano, CTO: a PhD student in Engineering at Massey University, Carlos is passionate about applying mathematics to real-life systems. He handles R&D, business strategy, and executing the team plans into reality.
Liliana Lozano, CFO: An accountant with a passion for sustainability, Liliana focuses on stakeholder communication and strategic decision-making.
Together, they see a massive opportunity to create a circular packaging loop that prevents fruit waste, maintains fruit quality, and disrupts the industry. Additionally, disruption will be efficient for all parties as much of the existing supply chain logistics can remain the same.
Recognising their venture's early-stage position, Lozano Group applied for the Sprout Accelerator, knowing it would refine their business model, provide them with invaluable insights into the commercial landscape, enhance their pitching skills for funding, and ultimately transform their dream of a successful startup into a tangible reality.
To set them up for success, the team is working with Tim Cutfield and Jonathan Good, Sprout Accelerator mentors and team members, who bring a wealth of start-up knowledge to the venture. Most significantly, they're helping the team strategise their next steps and refine their pitch to investors and customers.
In their next steps, Lozano Group will seek funding to advance their R&D, including acquiring a licence for specialised software. Soon after, the team will begin manufacturing prototypes for testing in cool stores and partner with a fruit company to demonstrate their base case.
Each of these steps directs them to their end goal.
"Ultimately, we want to be a global company that enables growers, fruit companies, and consumers to get the very best out of their fruit," says Raquel. "We want to see our fruit boxes used worldwide, providing jobs here in New Zealand and our international hubs."
With its dynamic team, innovative technology, global vision, and clear motivation to positively impact the planet, Lozano Group is positioned to influence the future of fruit packaging. Watch this space!