As consumer demand for ready-to-eat avocados transforms commercial ripening from a specialist service into an industry standard, produce suppliers are increasingly shifting operations closer to the point of sale to ensure consistency and cut down on retail shrink.
While ripening was traditionally carried out at packinghouses, today it increasingly takes place at retail and wholesale distribution centers, says Mary Lu Arpaia, cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, who adds that advances in ripening room technology, temperature management, carbon dioxide control and ethylene application have made this shift possible.
Catalytic Generators, which designs commercial ethylene systems for fruit ripening and citrus degreening, says that as avocado consumption continues to rise across North America, Europe, Latin America and Australia, commercial ripening programs are also becoming increasingly sophisticated, combining a deeper understanding of fruit physiology with reliable ethylene application and modern ripening technologies.
To learn more about the next generation of ripening programs and Catalytic Generators’ Easy-Ripe and SmartRipe technology, The Packer recently connected with Greg Akins, president and CEO.
“SmartRipe is being designed to combine reliable ethylene generation with remote monitoring, giving operators real-time visibility into the status of ethylene application inside the ripening room,” says Akins.
With anticipated availability in early 2027, SmartRipe will be offered as an optional feature across the company’s generator range.
“The priority is to make the technology practical and easy to use,” says Akins. “Traditional ripeners already understand the fundamentals of managing the ripening process, so SmartRipe is intended to build on that knowledge rather than replace it. The system and customer interface will help operators monitor ethylene application more closely, receive information faster and make better-informed decisions with minimal disruption to their current working practices.”
This migration of ripening into retail and wholesale distribution centers has created a diverse landscape of operators from industry veterans to newcomers. For Catalytic Generators, meeting this changing market demands a dual commitment to technical simplicity and robust education.
“As ripening has moved closer to retail and wholesale distribution centers, the customer profile has become more diverse,” says Akins. “Some operators have decades of produce-ripening experience, while others are managing ripening as one part of a much broader distribution operation.”
Regardless, says Akins, the fundamentals remain the same.
“Operators need to understand the fruit, the room and the ripening system,” he says. “However, some clients may require more structured onboarding around avocado maturity, fruit history, room airflow, temperature management and the importance of maintaining the required ethylene level.”
Akins says Catalytic Generators’ approach is to keep ethylene application as straightforward as possible while supporting customers with practical guidance.
“The company also provides ongoing technical support so that customers are not simply supplied with equipment but have access to people who understand commercial ripening and the fresh produce industry,” says Akins. “They also know ripening consultants that can provide hands-on, in-depth on-site assistance to improve existing ripening programs or help to establish new ones.”
Ripening Right
Catalytic Generators says its Easy-Ripe technology, which offers continuous and customizable ethylene production, is also a boon to efficiency.
“The principal efficiency benefit of Easy-Ripe is not simply reducing ethylene consumption, but generating the right amount of ethylene, at the right time, directly at the point of use,” says Akins. “Operators can adjust the generator output according to the size of the room and the specific ripening requirements, rather than relying on large volumes of pre-mixed gas containing mostly inert nitrogen.”
In terms of financial efficiency, Akins says the cost savings vary depending on room size, operating conditions, ventilation practices and the alternative system being used.
“In many cases, however, customers achieve lower operating costs either through reduced ethylene consumption or because Easy-Ripe helps them maintain the correct ethylene concentration,” says Akins, adding that many operators unknowingly use higher ethylene levels than necessary.
“Ultimately, the greatest advantage is not simply cost savings, but process reliability,” he says. “Maintaining the required ethylene level throughout the treatment period leads to more effective and uniform ripening while eliminating many of the interruptions associated with less controlled systems.”
Additional efficiency comes from the Easy-Ripe system’s standardization of the ethylene application.
“Easy-Ripe provides a dependable and repeatable source of ethylene, helping operators maintain the required level throughout the treatment period,” Akins says. “This gives ripeners a consistent starting point, even when the fruit entering the room varies from one shipment to another.
“The ripening protocol can then be adjusted according to factors such as dry matter, time off the tree, transit conditions, temperature history, coatings, controlled-atmosphere shipping or previous treatment with an ethylene inhibitor,” he continues. “By keeping ethylene delivery reliable while operators adapt the wider program to the fruit, the system helps reduce fruit-to-fruit variability, shorten ripening time and produce a more predictable product for retail.”
Looking ahead, Akins says Catalytic Generators’ next generation of connected technologies will provide operators with 24/7 visibility into ethylene application, enabling faster decisions, better process control and even more consistent ripening results.
More Predictable Product
While Akins says shrink depends on many factors beyond ethylene application, including incoming fruit quality, maturity, storage history, handling, room design and the stage of ripeness selected for distribution, Catalytic Generators’ customers consistently report that ethylene application helps reduce variability in avocado ripeness and provides retailers with a more predictable product.
“This supports better inventory planning, faster turnover and a lower risk of fruit arriving either too hard or becoming overripe before sale,” he says.
