What do we do with raw materials that can’t be sold - but still hold great potential? Upcycling is about giving new life to resources that would otherwise go to waste. Today, it's a key part of reducing food waste and building more sustainable value chains. By rethinking how we use surplus raw materials, waste can become product - and challenges can be transformed into opportunities.
There are several great examples of how surplus raw materials can be put to good use. One of them is the work done by Ryfylkefrukt SA, a cooperative owned by 38 fruit producers in Ryfylke. In 2024, they experienced a season with both record deliveries and large volumes of apples damaged by hail. To preserve the value of the damaged fruit, they launched an upcycling initiative, with TEAL contributing to the development process, market insight, and connecting them to relevant partners.
The result was Ryfylkejuice - an apple juice that quickly secured shelf space in all Meny stores in Rogaland, selected Coop Mega stores, and major farm shops in Stavanger. Since then, the initiative has expanded to include new products like apple slush, and the facility is now actively used to test pressing and processing of other raw materials, such as carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
Carrots, for example, are now used in salmon fish cakes made from hand-scraped salmon back meat - a by-product that often goes unused - and ground carrots that don’t meet retail standards but are full of flavor and nutrition. This was made possible through close collaboration with Plateful, a platform designed to unlock new market potential for surplus raw materials. As a wholesaler, Plateful connects producers with canteens, retailers, and other buyers - helping ensure that as much food as possible ends up on plates instead of in the trash.
The result: a sustainable, flavorful, and nutritious fish cake, and a great example of how the green sector and the seafood industry can work together to reduce waste, add value, and develop solutions that both producers and consumers can be proud of.
Upcycling on the Agenda at What's Growing
Upcycling is about much more than fruit. It’s a broader strategy for helping the entire green sector use its resources more efficiently and reduce waste. That’s why the topic will be in focus at What’s Growing 2025, where Anders Hellegaard from TEAL and Agnar Apeland from Ryfylkefrukt SA will take the stage.
In their session, “Raw Materials - Are We Throwing Away Our Value?”, they’ll share insights from their journey and discuss how others can be inspired to see opportunities where they once saw limitations.
