Jeff Watkin's guest appearances

Jeff Watkin

The Produce Moms Podcast

The Produce Industry Podcast w/ Patrick Kelly

Mollie Van Lieu

Stefanie Katzman

Nick Mascari

Lori Castillo

Shay Myers

Lori Taylor

Sarah Frey

Patrick Kelly

Mike O'Brien

Beth Miller

Greg White

Corteva Agriscience

Jennifer Wiese

Megan McKenna

LIsa Helfman

OwlTail

In this episode of The Produce Industry Podcast w/ Patrick Kelly we chat with Jeff Watkin, Director of Marketing of Sev-Rend Corporation. Patrick and Jeff are talking all things sustainable packaging. Jeff gives a 30,000 ft. overview of the company that has a 27+ year history in the produce and supply chain industry, sustainable packing, recycling, and new bioAble solutions!.  Patrick also discusses with Jeff about saving the globe and being eco-friendly to be able to sustain a better future for generations to come. As we know plastic takes years to breakdown and Jeff and the Sev-Rend team have to do better. They offer their customers sustainable packaging options that could reduce their carbon footprint and provide better quality product.  Join Patrick and Jeff talk Sustainability!! FANCY SPONSORS: Ag Tools, Inc.: https://www.agtechtools.com, Flavor Wave, LLC.: https://flavorwavefresh.com,  Noble Citrus: https://noblecitrus.com &amp; Buck Naked Onions/Owyhee Produce, Inc.: http://www.owyheeproduce.com CHOICE SPONSORS: Equifruit: https://equifruit.com, Arctic® Apples: https://arcticapples.com and Golden Star Citrus, Inc.: http://www.goldenstarcitrus.com STANDARD SPONSORS: Indianapolis Fruit Company: https://indyfruit.com and John Greene Logistics Company: https://www.jglc.com

In this episode of The Produce Industry Podcast w/ Patrick Kelly we chat with Jeff Watkin, Director of Marketing of Sev-Rend Corporation. Patrick and Jeff are talking all things sustainable packaging. Jeff gives a 30,000 ft. overview of the company that has a 27+ year history in the produce and supply chain industry, sustainable packing, recycling, and new bioAble solutions!.  Patrick also discusses with Jeff about saving the globe and being eco-friendly to be able to sustain a better future for generations to come. As we know plastic takes years to breakdown and Jeff and the Sev-Rend team have to do better. They offer their customers sustainable packaging options that could reduce their carbon footprint and provide better quality product.  Join Patrick and Jeff talk Sustainability!! FANCY SPONSORS: Ag Tools, Inc.: <a href="https://www.agtechtools.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.agtechtools.com</a>, Flavor Wave, LLC.: <a href="https://flavorwavefresh.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://flavorwavefresh.com</a>,  Noble Citrus: <a href="https://noblecitrus.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://noblecitrus.com</a> &amp; Buck Naked Onions/Owyhee Produce, Inc.: <a href="http://www.owyheeproduce.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.owyheeproduce.com</a> CHOICE SPONSORS: Equifruit: <a href="https://equifruit.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://equifruit.com</a>, Arctic® Apples: <a href="https://arcticapples.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://arcticapples.com</a> and Golden Star Citrus, Inc.: <a href="http://www.goldenstarcitrus.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.goldenstarcitrus.com</a> STANDARD SPONSORS: Indianapolis Fruit Company: <a href="https://indyfruit.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://indyfruit.com</a> and John Greene Logistics Company: <a href="https://www.jglc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.jglc.com</a>

Jeff Watkin, Director of Marketing at Sev-Rend Corporation - EP126

“The sustainable side is here to stay.”  Jeff Watkin (23:18-23:19)   You might immediately think packaging for produce is a bad thing, but companies like Sev-Rend are manufacturing tags, labels and bags for produce that are environmentally sustainable and biodegradable.    Jeff Watkin has been the Director of Marketing at Sev-Rend, a printing and converting manufacturer specializing in packaging for the produce industry. Jeff originally got his start in the retail side of produce and moved to the production and manufacturing side when he came aboard with the Sev-Rend family. Originally, Sev-Rend was the manufacturer of tags, labels and nettings for produce, like you’d see containing a bag of onions or potatoes.    The overarching important part of packaging is profitability. Now, as a consumer, you probably think negatively about packaging when it comes to the environment, and then when the topic of profitability comes into play, you’re even more disappointed in the conversation. However, when it comes to packaging, you have to remember all the important facts it communicates to a shipper, retailer and consumer. For example, the recipes and nutritional facts you see on produce labels or the ability for you to decipher between an organic avocado and a conventional one.   Sev-Rend is passionate about creating sustainable packaging and very conscious of their manufacturing practices. Going back to profitability, this is key when it comes to making the world and our food supply system more sustainable. Why? If growers don’t have strong returns, they can’t invest in the things we know are important, such as improving practices for carbon neutrality, providing equitable treatment for all team members, and other critical areas for investing in sustainable practices.    “We have come up with a solution that we feel passionately may be a game changer for this.” Jeff Watkin (16:50-16:54)   Sev-Rend makes sure their practices are as sustainable as possible with a state of the art electrical and waste system, and using water based inks for printing. They’re also very focused on educating the consumer on how to recycle and reduce properly along with continuing research and development on product packaging. They don’t want to put a bandaid on issues, but rather find solutions that can be taken to a global scale long-term.    The company is in the midst of launching “Bio-Able Solutions” a line of products that lets current plastic structures fully degrade in almost any environment.  Most importantly, it leaves behind NO microplastics!    Soon, this will become commercially available and already is FDA certified and Prop-67 compliant. With this type of plastic, if it ended up in a landfill, for example, the plastic would completely degrade in a 24 month long period… much shorter compared to the years it normally takes for plastics to break down. On top of that, if a product is already on the shelf for four months before the packaging is thrown out, the biodegrading process has already started, shortening that timeline.   Unfortunately due to COVID-19, we’ve seen a huge surge in packaging demand on the retail side of the produce industry over the past 8-10 months. Consumers are shopping less, however when they hit the store they’re buying more. Especially with our health concerns, there is even more of a stigma than usual against loose produce, meaning more shoppers are buying two, three or five pound bags of apples, oranges and other produce, which means more packaging.    “We recognize and understand it is a problem and we need to help and aid in the solution.” Jeff Watkin (20:06-20:10)   Sev-Rend is working hard with the other partners they work with to create packaging for produce companies. If packaging is going to be completely sustainable and able to break down in that 24 month period, everything on the package needs to use Bio-Able Solutions products. No one can control how anyone disposes of plastic waste, but by creating this new solution for biodegradable plastic and educating as much as possible, Sev-Rend is establishing a huge impact on sustainability long-term.    How to get involved  Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.     If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

“The sustainable side is here to stay.” Jeff Watkin (23:18-23:19) You might immediately think packaging for produce is a bad thing, but companies like Sev-Rend are manufacturing tags, labels and bags for produce that are environmentally sustainable and biodegradable.  Jeff Watkin has been the Director of Marketing at Sev-Rend, a printing and converting manufacturer specializing in packaging for the produce industry. Jeff originally got his start in the retail side of produce and moved to the production and manufacturing side when he came aboard with the Sev-Rend family. Originally, Sev-Rend was the manufacturer of tags, labels and nettings for produce, like you’d see containing a bag of onions or potatoes.  The overarching important part of packaging is profitability. Now, as a consumer, you probably think negatively about packaging when it comes to the environment, and then when the topic of profitability comes into play, you’re even more disappointed in the conversation. However, when it comes to packaging, you have to remember all the important facts it communicates to a shipper, retailer and consumer. For example, the recipes and nutritional facts you see on produce labels or the ability for you to decipher between an organic avocado and a conventional one. Sev-Rend is passionate about creating sustainable packaging and very conscious of their manufacturing practices. Going back to profitability, this is key when it comes to making the world and our food supply system more sustainable. Why? If growers don’t have strong returns, they can’t invest in the things we know are important, such as improving practices for carbon neutrality, providing equitable treatment for all team members, and other critical areas for investing in sustainable practices.  “We have come up with a solution that we feel passionately may be a game changer for this.” Jeff Watkin (16:50-16:54) Sev-Rend makes sure their practices are as sustainable as possible with a state of the art electrical and waste system, and using water based inks for printing. They’re also very focused on educating the consumer on how to recycle and reduce properly along with continuing research and development on product packaging. They don’t want to put a bandaid on issues, but rather find solutions that can be taken to a global scale long-term.  The company is in the midst of launching “Bio-Able Solutions” a line of products that lets current plastic structures fully degrade in almost any environment.  Most importantly, it leaves behind NO microplastics!  Soon, this will become commercially available and already is FDA certified and Prop-67 compliant. With this type of plastic, if it ended up in a landfill, for example, the plastic would completely degrade in a 24 month long period… much shorter compared to the years it normally takes for plastics to break down. On top of that, if a product is already on the shelf for four months before the packaging is thrown out, the biodegrading process has already started, shortening that timeline. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, we’ve seen a huge surge in packaging demand on the retail side of the produce industry over the past 8-10 months. Consumers are shopping less, however when they hit the store they’re buying more. Especially with our health concerns, there is even more of a stigma than usual against loose produce, meaning more shoppers are buying two, three or five pound bags of apples, oranges and other produce, which means more packaging.  “We recognize and understand it is a problem and we need to help and aid in the solution.” Jeff Watkin (20:06-20:10) Sev-Rend is working hard with the other partners they work with to create packaging for produce companies. If packaging is going to be completely sustainable and able to break down in that 24 month period, everything on the package needs to use Bio-Able Solutions products. No one can control how anyone disposes of plastic waste, but by creating this new solution for biodegradable plastic and educating as much as possible, Sev-Rend is establishing a huge impact on sustainability long-term.  How to get involved <ul> <li>Join The Produce Moms Group on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and continue the discussion every week! </li> <li>Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more <a>here</a>. </li> </ul> If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we’d love for you to help us spread the word!

EP135: Creating Long-Term Sustainability With Produce Packaging With Jeff Watkin, Director Of Marketing For Sev-Rend