Hazel Technologies Bolsters Apple Operators Nationwide; Leighton Rice, Milt Fuehrer, and Gene Gifford Comment
CHICAGO, IL - Production for the apple category is preparing to hit full swing, and Hazel Technologies is ready to continue helping companies fortify their supply chain operations. The solutions innovator has already made a significant impact on the apple industry this season, helping growers, packers, and shippers to extend the quality and shelf-life of their products with its flagship technology, Hazel 100™.
Apple suppliers optimizing the solutions providers’s USDA-funded postharvest product line include Rice Fruit Company®, BelleHarvest®, and River Valley Fruit®.
“In a typical year we might ship two million boxes of apples, ranging from the core varieties like Honeycrisp to proprietary varieties like KIKU® and Lemonade™ apples,” said Leighton Rice, Quality Control Manager at Rice Fruit Company. “With each variety comes different challenges. We have found that Hazel’s range of technologies can help to keep the fruit fresh and attractive, which is why we’ve added Hazel 100 to our process this year, alongside Hazel CA™ and Datica.”
With the North American apple harvesting season hitting its peak over the next couple of months, grower-packers across the United States are planning to continue using Hazel’s suite of products on both their core and proprietary varieties, the company explained in a release.
The tech maven’s suite of apple technologies features Hazel 100, Hazel CA for long-term storage, Hazel O™ for organics, Hazel Datica™ for storage monitoring, and Hazel Trex™ for quality verification. Each of these unique innovations is designed to help extend shelf-life and monitor the quality of apples while in storage.
“At BelleHarvest, we pride ourselves in embracing innovations to provide the highest quality of produce for our customers,” commented Milt Fuehrer, Chief Executive Officer, BelleHarvest Sales. “Over the last two years of working with Hazel, we’ve seen that same dedication to innovation through the constant improvements being made to Hazel CA and its companion technology, Hazel Datica. We’ve been thoroughly impressed with our QC and pack-out results.”
Hazel 100 takes an innovative approach to a technology the apple industry has used for the last two decades, and companies across the apple supply chain are beginning to notice its numerous benefits.
“We feel even more confident in our storage strategies knowing that we have Hazel Tech on our team,” commented Gene Gifford, General Manager of River Valley Fruit. “We’ve used Hazel products successfully and have seen better packouts, better arrivals, and found it extremely user-friendly. We cannot wait to continue our partnership using Hazel’s products for apples this season.”
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