Dive Brief:

• Fruitcycle, a Washington D.C.-based startup, aims to turn discarded fruits into healthy snacks to prevent vast amounts of food from going to waste. 
• Elizabeth Bennett, the founder of the food waste company, competed with other entrepreneurs to win investment money and space at an area food incubator.
• Bennett scored a win as “audience favorite” for her cinnamon apple chips, receiving three months of free rent for the business as an award. 

Dive Insight:

Bennett formulated her business idea while visiting a nearby grove and noticed a massive amount of fruit waste. She now travels to an orchard to gather apples that have fallen from trees.

Bennett has even negotiated a reduced rate with the farmer for the fruit. She estimates 200 apples are used to produce 17.5 pounds of fruit chips. The next steps for the business are to finalize packaging and hire a staff.