Lately, we’ve been talking about upcycling. While it’s a hot topic right now thanks to clever marketing campaigns, it’s a practice that’s been around since the dawn of fruit drying. At Bella Viva Orchards, we’ve been upcycling for over three decades, even before we started our business! We’re so happy that this practice is now getting the attention and appreciation it deserves.
For those of you who are just getting on board with understanding upcycling, in a nutshell, it’s the practice of turning misshapen fruit into perfectly edible beauty. When fresh fruit is harvested it’s graded and the fruit that makes the first cut goes to the fresh market. What’s left is often strewn into livestock yards for feed or worse yet, sometimes even discarded. This is where upcycling shines: We take that second choice fruit that’s perfectly nutritious and dry it using our proprietary method that maintains the beautiful color, texture and flavor of the fruit without using any preservatives or added sugar (or fruit juice). The result is beautiful, natural, Certified Organic dried fruit that you’d never know was aesthetically challenged at one time.
To us, upcycling is a rescue mission that’s so dear to our hearts. We love making great use of valuable fruit and the countless resources it takes to grow, harvest and process it. We’re proud to tell you that every bit of fruit we produce is upcycled!
As you celebrate National Upcycling Day on June 24, we invite you to explore the many ways you can honor the earth and this noble practice by developing your own line of products with a very happy nod to Mother Earth!
Happy National Upcycling Day, partners!