FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2017
Jonathan Mills
Seal the Seasons Inc.
Office: 919-245-3535 x 107
Mobile: 919-593-6365
Seal the Seasons Founder Patrick Mateer Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List
Chapel Hill, NC: At only 24 years of age, Seal the Seasons Patrick Mateer, founder and CEO has been named to the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurs. The Forbes 30 Under 30 list recognizes the top 30 individuals under 30 years of age who are leading entrepreneurial businesses as a way to create positive change throughout the world. (https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2018/social-entrepreneurs/#4705b5dc29e5)
Mateer is the founder and CEO of Seal the Seasons, a business he created in his dorm room at the University of North Carolina. Seal the Seasons connects two basic ideas: Consumers want to eat locally grown produce and family farms across America have been closing at unprecedented rates. By freezing produce on a state by state or region by region basis, Seal the Seasons makes local produce available 365 days a year. This creates a year-round market for farmers while at the same time satisfying consumer demand for Local Food, one of the fastest growing consumer interests in the supermarket industry.
Seal the Seasons started by freezing and selling North Carolina produce in North Carolina. They are now replicating that model and expanding state by state and region by region across the United States for 2018.
“If you have frozen strawberries in your freezer right now, they most likely come from Turkey, Serbia, Egypt, Mexico or Guatemala. This makes no sense to me. Why are we shipping food all over the world when we have wonderful strawberries right here in North Carolina? Local produce is better for our environment, our economy and our farmers. This interest in Local Produce is not unique to the Carolinas. It is a desire of consumers across the United States.”
Supermarkets agree. According to Randall King, the Category Manager for dairy and frozen food at Lowes Foods, “Our purpose at Lowes Foods is ‘We grow community.’ With Seal the Seasons, not only can we support a local company, we can also support our local farmers.”
Seal the Seasons’ Locally frozen fruits are available in over 700 markets in The Carolinas. They are found in conventional supermarkets such as Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Ingles, Carly C’s and Piggly Wiggly as well as a wide range of natural food stores like Weaver Street Market and other coops and natural food stores throughout NC.
About Seal the Seasons Expansion: Started in North Carolina, Seal the Seasons is now replicating its model and expanding geographically throughout the United States with their National/Local model (a national brand with always Local product). They currently sell North and South Carolina product for the Carolinas. They are preparing to launch Florida and Georgia shortly. In January they will be adding New York and New Jersey produce for sale in New York and New Jersey. They are currently taking commitments from supermarkets in additional states and regions throughout the US for September 2018 rollouts.
For more information about Patrick Mateer and Seal the Seasons, please contact Jonathan Mills @ [email protected] or 919 593 6365.