What World Food Preservation Center® does

World Food Preservation Center® LLC (WFPC), founded in 2013 by former USDA scientist Dr. Charles L. Wilson and headquartered in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, is a privately held educational and research organization addressing postharvest food losses in developing countries. It operates a network of 28 "Sister Universities" and 3 agricultural research institutes across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania, through which it delivers graduate education (M.S. and Ph.D.) in postharvest preservation technologies to students from developing countries and runs collaborative research programs covering solar refrigeration, non-thermal processing, active and intelligent packaging, biological control (bio-pesticides from natural yeast antagonists), solar drying, hermetic storage, vertical agriculture, and controlled-atmosphere containers.

WFPC's portfolio comprises four programmatic lines: (1) graduate education and dissertation research at Sister Universities (first Ph.D. awarded June 2016 to Dr. Gustav Mahunu at Jiangsu University); (2) the World Food Preservation Center Book Series published with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis); (3) continent-wide postharvest congresses and exhibitions, anchored by the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress in Nairobi, March 23-27, 2017, which drew 600+ delegates from 40 countries; and (4) the Global Mycotoxin Alliance and related MYTOX-SOUTH network for mycotoxin detection and control. A separate nonprofit entity, the World Food Preservation Education Foundation (501(c)(3)), was established to fund scholarships. WFPC also holds hexanal-based Phospholipase D Inhibition IP (US patents #6514914 and #7,198,811 plus 8+ international jurisdictions), exclusively licensed to Harvest One Agritech Inc. for worldwide commercialization.

Revenue is generated indirectly through philanthropic donations and scholarships routed via the 501(c)(3) foundation, corporate sponsorships (GrainPro, Inc., Maersk Container Industry, AIPIA, CRC Press), and institutional grants (Rockefeller Foundation's $130M 7-year post-harvest loss initiative, Global Affairs Canada, USDA, and others). WFPC does not sell commercial products. Major institutional endorsements and convening partners include the FAO, African Union Commission, AGRA, IITA, University of Nairobi, Ghent University, and BioIntelliPro.

Name

World Food Preservation Center®

Legal name

World Food Preservation Center LLC

Website

https://worldfoodpreservationcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Food Preservation Center® LLC is a Shepherdstown, West Virginia–based nonprofit research and education organization that reduces postharvest food losses in developing countries by training graduate scientists through a global Sister University network, publishing textbooks via CRC Press, and convening continent-wide congresses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research and Postharvest Education Services

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Food Safety, Quality Standards & Regulatory Capacity Building (BPADAJAJ)

Keywords

• Postharvest preservation
• Food loss reduction
• Agricultural research
• Graduate education programs
• Mycotoxin control

Headquarters

HQ city

Shepherdstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations and Scholarships: The World Food Preservation Education Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, solicits funds to support students from developing countries attending Sister Universities to obtain M.S. and Ph.D. postharvest degrees. Donations fund scholarships and research funds.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the organization to advance its mission of reducing postharvest losses in developing countries. Maersk Container Industry and GrainPro, Inc. have endorsed and partnered with the organization.
3. Government and Institutional Grants: Funding from international organizations and development agencies such as Rockefeller Foundation ($130 million initiative), Global Affairs Canada, USDA, and others supporting research and capacity building programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

World Food Preservation Center® LLC is a nonprofit-oriented educational and research organization that funds graduate-level education (M.S. and Ph.D.) for young scientists from developing countries, coordinates research on postharvest preservation technologies adapted for resource-limited settings, organizes continent-wide postharvest congresses and exhibitions, and publishes the World Food Preservation Center Book Series with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis). It operates through a global network of 'Sister Universities' spanning six continents and runs the Global Mycotoxin Alliance with Ghent University and BioIntelliPro.

Product overview

The World Food Preservation Center® LLC is an educational and research organization that operates as a network of 'Sister' Universities across six continents. The organization offers a unified portfolio consisting of graduate education programs (M.S. and Ph.D.) in postharvest technologies for students from developing countries, the World Food Preservation Center Book Series published with CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, continent-wide postharvest congresses and exhibitions (starting with the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress), international online courses, and the Global Mycotoxin Alliance for advanced detection technologies. The core mission is to reduce postharvest food losses in developing countries by educating scientists and developing new preservation technologies adapted to resource-limited settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• One-third of food produced globally is lost between harvest and consumption—enough to feed 2 billion people annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CRC Press (Taylor & Francis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2017CRC Press, a premier publisher of science, technology, and medical reference books, partnered with WFPC to produce the World Food Preservation Center Book Series. The series covers edited books addressing postharvest food loss problems especially in developing countries, including classical postharvest biology, solar refrigeration, non-thermal processing, active/ intelligent packaging, biological control, solar drying, hermetic storage, food safety, vertical agriculture, food export, and gender issues.
• MYTOX-SOUTH ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2017International Thematic Network on 'Partnership to improve food security and food safety in developing countries: mitigation of mycotoxins' coordinated by Ghent University. Includes 13 UGent researchers and 12 partners from African universities plus China, USA partners including BioIntelliPro LLC and USDA-ARS.
• Global Mycotoxin AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2017Alliance formed by WFPC, Ghent University, and BioIntelliPro to put the most advanced mycotoxin detection and control tools into the hands of young scientists in developing countries. Builds on Ghent University's Mytox South Initiative.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2017Supported the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition. Works toward UN Sustainable Development Goals commitments on halving postharvest losses by 2030.
• African Union CommissionmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2017Supported the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition. Aligned with Malabo Declaration goal to halve postharvest losses by 2025.
• Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2017Supported the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition as part of efforts to improve food security across Africa.
• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2017Supported the 1st All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition with research and development expertise in tropical agriculture.
• Harvest One Agritech Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 February 2017Licensed the Phospholipase D Inhibition Technology (hexanal-based compositions) for worldwide commercialization. Technology developed by University of Guelph researchers for enhancing shelf-life of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
• GrainPro, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2016GrainPro, Inc., headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts with sales offices in India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Brazil and Mexico, signed a cooperative agreement to develop and apply biologically-based technologies for postharvest preservation of dry foods in developing countries. GrainPro's mission is to reduce postharvest losses of dry agricultural commodities through green and affordable products.
• Maersk Container IndustryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Maersk Container Industry endorsed the World Food Preservation Center and invites others to join in supporting the organization's mission of reducing postharvest losses in developing countries.
• AIPIA (Active & Intelligent Packaging Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016AIPIA supports the WFPC mission of providing world-class education to young scientists in developing countries in advanced technologies for food preservation including solar refrigeration, biological control, and active/intelligent packaging.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HarvestPlus: CGIAR program addressing micronutrient deficiency through biofortified crops in developing countries. Comparable as a science-based, donor-funded initiative building agricultural capacity in the same geographies and donor ecosystem as WFPC.
• One Acre Fund: Nonprofit serving smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa with inputs, training, and post-harvest support. Most directly comparable to WFPC's mission of building farmer-facing capacity in developing countries, though delivery is farmer-services rather than university education.
• GrainPro, Inc. Concord, MA-based company manufacturing hermetic storage and postharvest preservation products for developing markets. Signed a cooperative agreement with WFPC and is closely comparable as a mission-aligned postharvest solutions provider for dry commodities in low-income geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): UN specialized agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger. Partnered with WFPC on the All Africa Postharvest Congress and operates the Save Food Partnership that hosted Dr. Wilson's founding presentation; massive incumbent in the same policy/funding space.
• TechnoServe: Nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Closely comparable to WFPC in mission and nonprofit capacity-building model, with stronger commercial-market orientation.
• World Food Programme (WFP): UN agency addressing global food security and postharvest loss. Overlaps with WFPC on the food security mission and engages with the same donor ecosystem, but is orders of magnitude larger and operates emergency food distribution rather than university-based R&D.
• Heifer International: Global nonprofit working to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture. Comparable as a nonprofit capacity-builder in developing-country food systems, but broader in scope and larger in operational scale than WFPC.
• Global Alliance for the Future of Food: A philanthropic alliance of foundations funding sustainable food systems globally. Comparable to WFPC as a funder/intermediary in the sustainable agriculture and food security space, though operating at a much larger scale and broader scope.
• CGIAR: Global agricultural research partnership operating 15 international research centers. Direct peer as a science-based network addressing smallholder productivity and postharvest losses in developing countries, but at vastly greater scale and funding.
• AGRA (Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa): Africa-focused agricultural transformation organization funded by Rockefeller and others. Direct overlap with WFPC on the All Africa Postharvest Congress and on smallholder food security mission, but AGRA is significantly larger and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-food-preservation-center%C2%AE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Food Preservation Center®