A former rocket scientist and lifelong inventor, Bill Birgen is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer at SAVRpak. Fed up with soggy lunches, Bill developed a pocket-size thermodynamic solution that created the perfect atmosphere inside his lunchbox, keeping his salads and sandwiches fresh and crisp. This technology evolved into SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution, which eradicates condensation - the number one cause of premature molding, wilting and spoilage of packaged produce like berries and leafy greens. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel hears from Bill about the tools that helped him accelerate SAVRpak’s growth; his reflections on pivoting from a “9-5” into entrepreneurship; and why validation was the key to unlocking SAVRpak’s success. 

Bill Birgen: “In the U.S., people throw away almost $2,000 worth of food per family and educating the consumer is the most difficult. Selling B2B and going to an executive, saying ‘your farm can be more profitable if you’re not throwing away as much’ is an easier conversation. We’re having that adoption now, but long term there is a huge opportunity for families and a consumer solution.”  

01:51 Intro to Bill Birgen 

04:08 From rocket science to reducing soggy lunches 

05:47 The origins of SAVRpak 

07:50 The state of SAVRpak today 

08:11 SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution 

10:20 Communicating a seemingly simple, yet nuanced and complex solution 

12:14 Winning over the skeptics 

13:45 The steps to scale from a prototype 

14:35 Pivoting to become an entrepreneur 

15:28 Reflecting on lessons learned from launching a new technology 

16:02 How to find the right stakeholders to validate and adopt your solution 

18:54 Top takeaways for changemakers 

21:19 Using your network to build a team 

22:33 Long-term opportunities for reducing food waste 

24:15 Accelerators and blockers for shifting consumer behavior 

25:31 What’s next for SAVRpak 

Links 

• Learn more about SAVRpak 
• Sign up for SAVRpak’s At-Home Freshness Packs 
• SAVRpak: TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2021 
• SAVRpak: Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Food 2023 
• Fast Company: A rocket scientist designed a solution for your moldy strawberries 
• Franchise Times: From rocket science, the start of a food delivery packaging revolution 

Subscribe, rate, review the show at foodlabtalk.com 

*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.