Grandview, Wash.-based River Valley Fruit LLC has adopted the shelf-life extension technology Hazel 100 for its cherry packing operations.
The drop-in solution from Hazel Technologies ensures extended cherry freshness and stems that can remain vibrant green, weeks after harvest, according to a news release.
River Valley Fruit turned to Hazel with the goal of maintaining its cherries’ quality and appeal among retailers and consumers, beyond production peak, the release said. A successful 2021 trial followed.
“We use the Hazel 100 sachets in our cherry boxes and have been very pleased with the results,” Art Varela, quality control manager at River Valley Fruit, said in the release. “It’s extended the life of our cherries easily for four weeks. Cherries are highly perishable — within just a matter of days, you can see pitting. By the third or fourth week of using [Hazel 100], there is minimal pitting and minimal brown stems.”
Northwest cherries will be up 50% this year, and that supply surge means shippers are reconsidering their postharvest and export strategy, the release said.
Related: More produce tech news
This year will bring increased usage of Hazel 100 due to high demand, Valera said in the release.
“We are probably going to have to use a heck of a lot more Hazel 100 because of volume,” he said. “We’re good for about the first week and a half — we can’t pack them fast enough, but our volume could slim it back to a week or something, and then we will probably have to start using Hazel.”
With the adoption Hazel 100, River Valley Fruit secures a competitive advantage in the cherry industry and reinforces its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, the release said.
“Art and the River Valley Fruit team have never shied away from embracing new tools that can improve their product,” Allen Kenoyer, Hazel AgTech account executive in the Pacific Northwest, said in the release. “We’re so excited about the work were doing together with cherries and happy to see the impact Hazel will continue to have as they ship their exceptional cherries to consumers here in the U.S. and abroad.”
