
BANNER ELK — Greenlife Tech Corporation, primarily based in Banner Elk, acquired a Little Business Innovation Study grant from the Environmental Safety Company to guidance the enhancement of its computerized meals preservation process.
Bruce Roesner, president of Greenlife Tech, said the grant is almost $98,000 and will go towards building and producing his FreshDefend product aimed at lowering foodstuff squander.
The system is a countertop container which attracts out oxygen in buy to hold food items refreshing and minimize food stuff waste, Roesner reported.
“I bought the idea about two many years ago. I was fatigued of viewing my wife throw wine out, to be sincere — she’d open a bottle, have a glass, possibly a glass the subsequent working day, and then the bottle bought tossed,” Roesner said.
He reported he investigated and discovered that oxygen is what would make wine get started to taste lousy, and he received to operate developing a device that will displace oxygen and maintain goods new for for a longer time.
Right after about six months of prototyping, Roesner stated he landed on a design and style that labored effectively and submitted some patents of his know-how. Meanwhile, he started to raise revenue and look for buyers.
The FreshDefend device is a countertop container that does not have to have refrigeration or any chemical compounds. In accordance to Roesner, it can lengthen the shelf lifestyle of fresh new generate fivefold.
Greenlife Tech Company has partnered with Enventys Associates, a corporation based mostly in Charlotte.
“They preferred our technologies and agreed to consider on our item progress for us, and in fact are taking aspect of their fees in inventory in the company, which is extremely unusual for them, or any one else for that matter” Roesner explained.
By Nov. 18, Roesner mentioned he had elevated $293,000 through crowdsourcing for his FreshDefend, and not even a week afterwards he gained the EPA grant for $98,000.
“We’re actually kind of stunned we acquired this EPA grant,” Roesner said. As a first-time applicant, Roesner said he understood the likelihood of obtaining the grant was very low. With the funds, he claimed Greenlife Tech is looking forward to creating, prototyping and producing its FreshDefend solution.
This is not Roesner’s first practical experience with a startup company. Right before Greenlife Tech, Roesner participated in 3 other startups in the technological innovation sector and has elevated tens of millions of dollars by venture capitalists.
Roesner said he proceeds to search for new ideas for his organization. This calendar year, Greenlife Tech Company sponsored an used style course at App Point out where college students have been acquiring merchandise. Just one of the group jobs was very similar to a single of Roesner’s interest regions, and Roesner claimed that he and the pupils are in the process of making use of for a pair of patents.
Output for Greenlife Tech’s patent-pending food preservation program will start off around August 2022, Roesner mentioned.
Relocating ahead, Roesner claimed he will glance for a variety of buyers and is thinking of product crowdsourcing, like Kickstarter, where firms pre-market their products. The initially significant thrust for fundraising will be at the start out of the new 12 months in January and February.
Like several other firms, Roenser claimed he too is battling with offer chain difficulties and the increasing price ranges of elements, but he is committed to holding the cost position for his product at $199.
“We are also doing work on some other SBIR contracts by way of the USDA and some others, exactly where we hope to extend our merchandise a lot more into the professional line for in all what I’ll say is pre grocery keep or likely into the grocery keep more substantial containers and so on,” Roesner mentioned.
To understand extra about the FreshDefend and Greenlife Tech Company, click to greenlifetech.com.
Marisa Mecke is a Report for The usa corps member for Mountain Times Publications. Report for The us is a nationwide nonprofit assistance system which locations journalists in nearby newsrooms to report on less than lined challenges.