The first zero waste factory of the world focuses on total value

Pulp, cores, stems and seeds

At the factory, the stems, seeds, cores and fruit are separated before entering the processing process. The stems are dried and made into an apple tea blend and the seeds finely pressed into apple oil. Yespers makes the most impact with the cores and pulp. The cores go into the pressing process along with the fruit to be processed into apple juice. The pulp remaining after pressing is dried and ground into apple fruit powder. This unique process allows every part of the apple to be valued.

Scaling up impact

Of course, breakfast products brand Yespers is itself a customer of the new Yespers factory. You will find dried apple cubes in granola, apple fruit powder in pancake mix and apple juice in apple syrup, for example.

''We already had one apple line where we used the whole apple for our breakfast products. In the new factory, we can start running larger volumes. More food producers will be able to use the products processed from the whole apple.''

Sustainable chain collaboration

Yespers' goal with the Total Value factory is to add maximum value to the whole food chain. 
The apple factory is already increasing value for the apple suppliers: after all, their complete product is being used. This gives the fruit growers a fair price. This money, in turn, can be used to reduce social costs or increase impact. Think, for instance, of reducing the grower's water consumption, stimulating biodiversity or the extra deployment or training of staff distanced from the labour market.

Cooperation with Fruitmasters

"Creating more social impact through more sustainable chain collaboration is the future”, says Stefan. “By collaborating with our suppliers, we can guarantee the sustainability of the food chain. That is why we have signed a cooperation agreement with Fruitmasters . In the Netherlands, 400 growers are affiliated to Fruitmasters. 

From zero waste to total value

The new total value factory is also referred to as the world's first zero waste factory. Stefan Baecke notices that the term 'zero waste' appeals to many people, but he himself prefers to speak of total value: