Hazel Tech honeydew quality solutions melon program for Grower Alliance, LLC

Chicago-based Hazel Technologies, a USDA-funded company providing new technologies to extend the quality shelf life of produce and fight food waste, continues to ensure optimal honeydew shelf-life at AZ- based produce distributor, Grower Alliance LLC.

The company is one of the largest exclusively owned produce distributors of wholesale fruits and vegetables in North America. Grower Alliance specializes in honeydew, table grapes, cantaloupe, mini and regular watermelon, multiple varieties of peppers and cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, and squash.

On average, the American consumer eats approximately 28 pounds of melon each year attributing the fruit’s flavor, sweetness, texture, and nutritional value as its most important attributes. Over the last decade there has been a major push within the melon market to improve shipping standards of the fruit. The impact of COVID-19 on the shipping process has only made this an even bigger priority for growers and distributors.  In 2019 Grower Alliance leadership began testing Hazel 100TM to validate the benefits and value of the technology for melons. Hazel 100 is a small sachet and, when placed into a box of produce, releases a shelf-life extending vapor that combats the spoiling of fruits and vegetables. Hazel 100 helps honeydew maintain firmness and protects against cold-chain breakage and resulting quality challenges. 

In 2007, Jorge Quintero Jr. and Louis Caballero founded Grower Alliance with the goal of growing and offering the best produce on the west coast. Jorge’s father, Jorge Quintero Sr. joined as a partner in 2008 bringing over 20+ years of in-field experience with him. The multigenerational company has expanded across North America, distributing to over 100 companies stateside and in Canada including Walmart and Kroger. The company also exports their melons to Japan, New Zealand, and Europe.

Over the last three years, millions of pounds of honeydews grown by Grower Alliance have been quality-protected by Hazel 100 and shipped worldwide. In 2019 trials, Hazel found that honeydew melons packed with Hazel 100 were 41% firmer compared to control 14-day supply chain scenarios. These results reflect the same Grower Alliance experience, with significantly firmer fruit up to three weeks after harvest using Hazel’s technology. 

“Our relationship with Hazel® has been a gamechanger for our honeydews,” Jorge Quintero Jr., Founder of Grower Alliance, commented, “Hazel has helped us protect millions of pounds of melons moving through the global supply chain. We adopted their technology years ago and today trust the technology as an integral step in our quality assurance commitment to our customers.”
“Fruits and vegetables make up over 40% of global food waste and melons are a major contributor to that number,” Aidan Mouat, Hazel Technologies CEO commented, “Working with companies like Grower Alliance allows Hazel to curb that statistic. In 2020 alone, we were able to prevent 240 million pounds of produce from going to waste.”