One of the challenges of modern living is that how can we stop rotting our fruit and veggies that we threw out every day from our fridge. In Australia, entrepreneur Peita Pini, founder of “The Swag” find a sustainable, natural solution. After years of research, testing (occasional failure!) and product development, The Swag (named after the iconic Australian bushman’s swag) was launched in 2016.
Peita grew up on an acreage north of Sydney, Australia, surrounded by nature. Her family and Peita largely lived off the land, so sustainability and reducing food waste became a core value of mine from an early age. She believes in eating as much natural unprocessed food as possible. When she moved out of home and became the primary grocery buyer, she sealed her fruit and veggies in plastic bags or containers thinking this would keep it much fresher, however this was not the case.
Peita noticed the condensation building up in her produce plastic bags and realised those were nutrients 'sweating' out of the fresh food. They were suffocating and rotting faster than they should be.
She had a deep belief that most humans equally upset with the waste and over use of plastic and deep down we all want to do what's right for our family, our community and the environment we live in. However, the problem seems so overwhelming that we don't know where to start and The Swag journey began.
On 24th August 2016, Peita launched The Swag via her personal Facebook page using a basic educational video and to my surprise, the video went somewhat viral. Within the first couple of hours, she had over sixty orders, mostly from complete strangers who had viewed and shared the video. These people had clearly identified with the problem of food waste and fully take up the solution.
The Swag keeps your fruit and veggies fresher for longer, two weeks on average in fact! The Swag is a patented, three-layered breathable bag, that allows fruit and veggies to breath and hydrate, helping them to stay fresh, crisp and nutrient rich for much longer – naturally. The Swag is 100% natural, non-toxic, 100% Sustainable, Machine-washable, Compostable, plus ethically and Fair Trade Produced. . The Swag system is passionate about no plastic and it fills the gap perfectly from the store to your fridge so that no plastic is involved.
Do you know why is it called a "Swag"? It’s named The Swag because the bags are rolled in the form of the iconic Australian bushman’s swag. A bushman’s Swag is a bundle of belongings rolled in a bedroll to be carried on foot over long distances, whilst looking for work in the Australian bush. The Swag represents a natural product, no waste and making the most of what you have. This translates into the fresh produce that last longer and stays fresher in The Swag whilst reducing the use of plastic.
How long would you last sealed in a plastic bag or container without air or water? Not long, right! Well, it’s the same for all living things, therefore if you want your fruit & veggies to stay fresher for much longer, then you need to give them an environment they can thrive in.
Say ‘goodbye’ to plastic and ‘hello’ to natural freshness. The Swag is a simple yet effective solution helping people around the world to reduce food waste, save $$$, ditch plastic, and help our environment & wildlife.
Let’s join in on this waste-free, plastic-free movement.
Happy Swagging!
Edited by Anjali Rawat