Stories

“By-product” is something of a dirty word. Perhaps it shouldn’t be – but it is. In part, of course, this is because the meat and leather industries use “by-product” as justification for industrial-scale mass production. But, as well as that unfortunate game of greenwashing word association, it’s also because it implies a certain imbalance – it suggests a single quality product and something lesser. That’s why “by-product” doesn’t really feature in Planet of the Grapes’ vocab

It may well sound like the premise for an A-list romantic comedy, but – looking back on 2023 – the reality, it's safe to say, is somewhat removed from that hazy Hollywood fantasy.  Now, that isn't to say it's not exciting – it is. (Or it is to us, anyway.) And that isn't to say there weren't highs, lows, and unexpected plot twists – there always are, of course. It isn't even to suggest that the whole thing is totally unromantic in practice – we're not made of stone, after al

When you hear “grape biomaterial” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If your answer is something like “a waste of good wine,” well, we get that: diverting potentially great wine into biobased wearables sounds like a crime. But the truth is that our grape biomaterial isn’t actually made from siphoned wine grapes – it’s made from discarded stalks and skins and all the kinds of things you’d be less than thrilled to find lurking in your freshly-opened bottle.