By Luke Stangel

Quietly, a small startup in Ithaca is hard at work inventing a new way to preserve fresh-cut produce. If they’re successful, their technology could reshape our grocery stores and pantries, and the lives of billions of the world’s poorest people.

The company will pilot its technology with fresh-cut French fries, processed at their plant in Rochester, bagged using its own technology, and shipped to high-end restaurants across the U.S., Vice President of Business Development Max Richman said.

The idea is to gather data around operating costs, to understand if it makes sense to branch out to other fruits and vegetables next, Richman said.

Farther Farms says shelf-stable bagged produce could save money at every step in the supply chain–processors wouldn’t need to use expensive, energy-intensive flash freezing machines or pay for cold storage delivery trucks, while grocery stores would be able to fit more fresh food on their shelves, freeing up freezer space.

Restaurants could buy fresh, bagged produce in bulk, and store it without refrigeration, saving money. Farmers could export fresh food to new markets, like rural Asia, South America and Africa, where refrigerators and freezers are still rare.

“The way we look at it, agtech is about improving the well-being of the global community,” Richman said. “If we can’t feed people, and ensure people are eating nutritious food, then that’s a foundational challenge.”

Saran studied food science, and decided to develop the idea into a commercial product at Cornell, where he met cofounder Mike Annunziata. The company has raised what it calls “pre-seed” funding, from a mix of science grants, angel investors, friends and family. Last month, it secured a $225,000grant from the National Science Foundation.