The invisible technology behind fresher fruit, seen through 3D animation

It’s Fresh, a UK-based agri-foodtech company, and its core technology brand RYPEN is on a mission to keep fresh produce in peak condition for longer, from harvest through to the consumer’s home. They’re tackling one of the planet’s quietest but most expensive problems: up to half of all fruit and vegetables grown globally never make it to a plate. Spoilage starts long before the produce reaches the shelf. As produce ripens, ethylene is released, a natural plant hormone that accelerates deterioration during storage and transit. RYPEN’s technology captures and moderates that ethylene, a process only 3D animation can make truly visible, slowing the ripening process and keeping produce fresher for longer.

It’s Fresh approached us to produce a series of 3D animations explaining their RYPEN technology. The challenge: it works at a molecular level, invisible without strong magnification. Our task was to make that process clear, in videos that show what RYPEN’s products do, how they do it, and why they work.

Product overview image – RYPEN Leaf, Case Liners & Sheets, Pad:

From abstract biochemistry to something anyone can see through 3D animation

The client came to us with a clear vision, their own storyboard and references covering both brand direction and the underlying science. What the project really called for was strong visual storytelling, capable of turning complex molecular science into something anyone could grasp at first watch. The story the videos needed to tell was deeply visual: produce that stays in peak condition for longer, all the way from farm to shelf. Animation had to do something that no live-action camera could.

The videos also had to feel fresh in the most literal sense. The fruit and vegetables had to look real, juicy, and in season, because the freshness of the produce was just as much the message as the technology around it. Stylised or low-detail models were never an option.

The result needed to land with two very different audiences at once: experts who know exactly how ethylene works, and viewers who have never thought about it before.

Ethylene, the natural plant hormone RYPEN captures, modelled from scratch:

The same molecule, now in the context of how RYPEN works:

The visual language that brought RYPEN to life

The visual approach paired realism with abstraction. Photorealism for the produce, so the produce would feel as fresh on screen as on a shelf. Scientific illustration for the molecules, so the biochemistry would read clearly even to a viewer seeing it for the first time. That pairing became the foundation of each video.

The starting points came from It’s Fresh themselves. Their website, brand visuals, and a set of references from across the industry gave us a clear baseline to work from. The molecular animations drew on scientific references the client provided directly, which kept the science honest on screen. Every visual decision, from how the molecules behaved to how the packaging looked, had to be right. From there, we developed the first concept frames, which evolved over several rounds of feedback with the client’s team until the visual language was locked.

The pursuit of freshness, frame by frame

What required the most attention was getting each fruit and vegetable right on a technical level. Every variety had its own visual rules: the delicate strands on raspberries, the subtle stripes on grapes, the precise texture and colour of each skin. Each piece of fresh produce had to look as if it had just been picked, washed, and placed in front of the camera.

Images of photorealistic fruit renders:

Production ran in two main phases. Visuals came first, and took the longest stretch of the project, most of that time spent perfecting how each item of fresh produce looked on screen. Each scene was modelled, textured, and animated in Adobe After Effects, then lit and rendered in Cinema 4D with Redshift. The final timeline was assembled in Premiere Pro.

The project unfolded in stages. The initial scope was to show falling fruits and vegetables with molecules around it. Once that was done, the focus shifted to molecules in more detail. Then to various fruits and packaging variations. Each stage brought fresh references, new conversations, and regular calls with the client. Because parts of the brief were abstract, staying in close contact was key to getting it right.

A powerful tool for showcasing RYPEN’s technology

Seven videos were delivered in total. Six are product-specific demos that, between them, cover RYPEN’s full product range: Leaf, Case Liners & Sheets, and Pad. Each demo pairs a fruit with the RYPEN product designed for it, shows the technology in action inside its packaging, and makes the otherwise invisible ethylene molecules visible on screen. The seventh, Falling fruits and vegetables, plays a different role: a cinematic showcase of produce in motion, surrounded by drifting molecules, telling the freshness story without anchoring to a single product.

The videos are used across RYPEN’s communication channels. They appear on the rypen.io product pages, on social media, on their YouTube channel, and on marketing material with QR codes linking to them.

The videos were also used at trade shows and events, including Fruit Attraction Madrid and Fruit Logistica Berlin. Both shows draw around 100,000 visitors, and the videos played on a loop at the RYPEN stand.

RYPEN Leaf

A paper-based sheet with RYPEN coating that slips into any produce case or case liner, providing close-proximity
ethylene protection during storage and transit.

Avocado in RYPEN Leaf

Blueberries in Rypen Leaf

RYPEN Case Liners & Sheets

A drop-in replacement for any non-active case liner or sheet, with RYPEN Technology embedded directly into the polymer for extensive surface-area ethylene protection

Grapes in RYPEN Case Liners & Sheet

Nectarines in RYPEN Case Liner

RYPEN Pad

A dual-purpose absorbent pad that controls both excess moisture and ethylene. Designed for fresh-cut fruit, berries, and soft fruits, it sits at the bottom of retail punnets and packs.

Raspberries on RYPEN Pad

Cut fruit on RYPEN Pad

Falling Fruit

The result was more than a set of videos. It was a tool the client could build their entire communication around:

“We provided the initial storyboard, and mynd did an exceptional job bringing it to life through high-quality 3D animation. The final videos have been invaluable in helping us clearly explain a complex mode of action behind our technology. They have become a powerful tool for us, not only at exhibitions and events, but also across our digital channels, including our website.”
Nicolas Shaw, Marketing Professional, RYPEN

Got a complex product or process to bring to life? Let’s turn it into a 3D animation that showcases what makes it unique. Get in touch.