I Had A Chance To Talk To Apeel... Did I take it?

What would you say to them?

Over the weekend, I attended a global produce and floral trade show over the weekend and Apeel was there. I put up a poll on my instagram stories asking if people thought I actually went to their booth or stayed far, far away from them. I did get this selfie with their booth and banner behind me for funsies and the poll was pretty split down the middle on whether or not I approached them. I’ll tell you what happened (you might be surprised) but first I would like to know…

What would you do? Since the poll was split down the middle I can say that 1/2 of you were right.

This show was not open to the public so if you’re thinking that you’d cause a scene or do something mean you wouldn’t be allowed inside in the first place. They take great precaution of who they allow into the show. You might be also thinking why on earth would they allow Apeel into a produce show. I got that question in my DMs a lot when I mentioned Apeel had a booth and the reality is that while many (and I mean MANY) of us are NOT fans of their “plant-based” coating they are in fact a part of the produce industry. Just as other produce companies were there, packaging manufactures, buyers, distributers, brokers and media as well.

I did attend the State of the Industry Key Note on Thursday and I have so much to write up about what I saw from that presentation but one thing that I wrote down in my notes that was said was this: “Consumers want to know what they are eating and we need to embrace this as an industry.” How fitting for the topic of Apeel.

I’m sure you’re aware that I am definitely not Apeel’s biggest fan. They even blocked me on Twitter awhile back (hopefully we can undo that?) When I initially broke this story on Apeel back in April I did not set out to be the resident Apeel blogger on this platform. Shocker right? My goal with this platform was to share what I was already sharing on my website and social media. My goal with the Apeel post was to dive deep into what I was reading and write about it from a consumer standpoint. No one was talking about Apeel in my industry (the natural products industry) and I didn’t understand why… especially when I went down a rabbit hole of information on the subject. But, while yes I do blog about the food industry, ingredients, toxins etc. I also am a recipe developer and chef, cookbook author of two books and silly mama on instagram (follow me - I post fun stuff over there). I am all those things and now I write about this topic of Apeel that so many of you want all the deets on.

Most of my paid subscribers (thank you btdubs) send messages when they subscribe that they want more info on Apeel. I’m very happy to share what I’ve found when I find something new. I love to write. I ALSO, however, get lots of negative messages, emails and sometimes comments from greedy and LAZY people who think that everything should be FREE on the internet because that’s what they are accustomed to. Much of what I write about is information that I have spent hours researching online and on the Apeel website. Yes - I have shared some screenshots and shared DMs or emails that I’ve received from companies regarding Apeel but the people who just want everything to be free on the internet really are so entitled. My message to them is always something along the lines of… “Having paid subscribers is how I am able to provide for my family. I’ve spent hours and hours on this stuff and if you want to do the research yourself then please do so.”

Okay so after that ramble… did I stop by the booth? Comically yes and no.

Towards the end of third day (the last day), I saw that their team was talking to some other people and I thought okay well I can grab one of their pins on there coffee table and step to the side to wait and see if I can introduce myself. I had debated the previous 2 days and before that if I should in fact stop and say something (nothing negative). I never once wanted them to think I was coming after them at their booth or coming to be rude or whatever and while I don’t necessarily mind confrontation with people I know, I don’t know these people in real life and it’s not my style to be a butthole and cause a scene, film it secretly and blast it on social media like so much of the younger generation does online. (those pesky kids, right?)

Okay so once I grabbed a pin and stepped back, Lauren (VP of marketing) spotted me and said “HEY KRYSTEN”… I giggled inside because I knew they knew who I was. She quickly grabbed Jenny (co-founder) and said hey look who it is kinda thing. Jenny came over and said hi and guess what…

We had a whole Grease the musical style dance battle in the middle of the trade show floor and it was definitely a close call as to who had the sick moves but … okay please know that I’m totally joking here. HAH.

We did chat and had a very pleasant and friendly talk for a few minutes. They wanted to know if we could maybe sit down together and talk about everything and let me ask questions and hear it directly from them. They DID seem to understand OUR (meaning yours and my own) concerns which I appreciate. I joked with them that I wasn’t sure that I should stop by their booth or not because I didn’t want them to feel like I was going to attack them and I told them that I didn’t bite… they said they didn’t either.

Sadly, some of you might be upset that I was kind to Jenny & Lauren and that I EVEN approached them. There’s a ton of division right now in our country and so much of it is fueled by this idea that we can’t even converse with the other side (of whatever topic) without blowing up and flipping tables but that’s why we can’t get anywhere in this country — no one is willing to sit down and talk.

I honestly believe that Jenny & Lauren’s hearts are sincere and they believe that they are doing something amazing here with Apeel and trying to eliminate food waste BUT I don’t want it on my produce. Both can be true. They can love what they do and I can think they are nice but not want to eat their coating.

So now what? In the next few months (it might be after the new year because well mom life, holidays and schedule) either I will go to their HQ and sit down with them or maybe they would come here to where I am and we will talk. This is where YOU come in. Whether you comment below or send me an email which I figure many of you will want to do for privacy - tell me what YOU would like to know about Apeel.

What questions do you have? I will ask them and I will report back once we sit down and talk. In the end, perhaps we can get some answers straight from Jenny & Lauren.

Here’s a pic we took together at the show — you know pic or it didn’t happen kind of thing and I will keep you posted on when we sit down together and talk. Send any questions you might have to me via DM, email or comment down below.