USA | A supply chain the size of Walmart’s is less linear than its name implies and more like a web.
The web comprises people and products. Each new point strengthens the web, and progress relies on Walmart’s sourcing team, which has sought innovative approaches to supply chain improvements and the customer experience.
In India, Walmart has been working alongside an agritech startup to pilot a creative solution to food waste. This will help bring better, fresher products to the customer while allowing Walmart to source fresh produce from new countries of origin.
The goal has been augmenting the supply chain and creating more sustainable alternatives for customers everywhere.
GreenPod Labs, based in Chennai, India, has found ways to slow down fruit ripening in transit due to the extended travel time in the supply chain. This has helped the produce stay fresh longer and deliver a better product.
The company has been producing small sachets filled with plant extracts that activate the natural defence mechanisms of fruits and vegetables and slow the rate of microbe growth. These extracts slow fruit ripening and mimic that “still on the vine” freshness.
GreenPod’s team has provided the sachets from India, which will be applied to mangoes in Peru before shipping to the U.S. Upon arrival, Walmart will partner with the University of California Davis to evaluate efficacy in multiple environments.
This has been one example of many of the kinds of global collaboration Walmart has enabled, alongside brilliant people and partners, to bring better to the world.
“Working with a global player like Walmart revalidates the importance of our work in reducing fruits and vegetables post-harvest losses and quality degradation,” said Deepak Rajmohan, the CEO of GreenPod Labs.
“It’s been a great learning experience to interact with the sourcing and innovation team to understand the current challenges.”
Walmart and GreenPod Labs met at the Walmart India Growth Summit in 2024, an event series designed to connect entrepreneurs, suppliers and innovators with the company’s extensive global supply chain.
Tech innovation has driven real-world solutions to move forward a globally resilient supply chain. Pilots like the one with GreenPods Labs build on Walmart’s history of innovation and enable sourcing to provide exceptional items to customers worldwide.
