Israel

Nanovel secures funding for development of fruit-harvesting robot

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:54:03 GMT

California’s Citrus Research Board has signed a $900,000 nondilutive funding agreement with Nanovel that includes delivery of a citrus-harvesting robot after a series of field trials.

The field trials are set to start in spring 2025 and will be conducted in cooperation with citrus growers. Nanovel, an Israeli company established in 2018 by CEO Isaac Mazor, has unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered autonomous fruit-harvesting robot capable of picking citrus fruit for the fresh market, according to a news release.

According to Nanovel, the robot offers a solution to growers dealing with farm labor shortages and rapidly increasing costs.

The robot is designed to pick citrus in dense foliage, and the system features a multi-arm platform that will initially be towed by a tractor, the release said. Future versions are planned to include an internal driving unit and autonomous navigation capabilities.

The robot’s telescopic arms are equipped with edge computing, advanced vision systems and AI to identify, assess and selectively pick fruit that meets fresh market quality standards. Each arm of the robot uses an end-effector with a vacuum gripper to cradle the fruit and then trim the stems using cutters without damaging the fruit. The fruit is then transported via conveyor belts to bins.

In the first phase, the robot is planned to harvest oranges, with later expansion to other types of citrus, the release said. The Nanovel system can operate day and night, optimizing productivity and ensuring crops are picked at optimal times.

Nanovel said the real-time collection of harvest data by the system delivers insights that can be used for packing and marketing activities, and the data can also provide agronomic insights to growers.

Nanovel showcased investment opportunities in the fruit-harvesting robot at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.

John Vena Inc. bringing in Israeli pomegranates

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 18:40:01 GMT

As supplies of late season pomegranates from California begin to dwindle, John Vena Inc ., a specialty produce wholesaler based in Philadelphia, PA, has stepped up volumes of Israeli fruit through
their import partnership with EDOM Fruits, an experienced grower cooperative specializing in supplying exotic fruits to some of Europe’s largest retailers.

2021-22 Season Overview

Israel is in the height of their main season for the preferred Wonderful variety as we enter January. According to John Vena, President of John Vena Inc., “The timing of the Israeli season is a perfect complement to US production. Just as California fruit loses steam, we welcome the first arrivals of main season varieties out of Israel. This allows a continuous supply of premium fruit through March.”

Weather conditions were favorable in Israel this year, allowing fruit to develop good size and color. John Vena Inc. is offering fruit as large as 833 grams (1.8 pounds) per piece, as long as supplies last, with containers arriving weekly.

“I’ve been working with pomegranates out of Israel for a number of years now and I’m impressed with the quality of our fruit this year,” adds Vena. “Israeli pomegranates must be cold-treated before shipment to the US, which can affect color – but so far this season the color has been excellent. Strong pigment with deep red tones. I’m sure this is in part from the professional packing work of our partners at EDOM – they are specialists in producing premium packs for export.”

While costs of transportation have skyrocketed, the ability to utilize sea freight instead of air has allowed the import program to continue to offer value in the US market.

Retail Readiness

Unlike domestic pomegranate production which favors double layer packs, Israel, which primarily serves the European and Asian markets, uses a four- or five-kilogram tray pack. The smaller pack size allows for more flexibility in purchasing, particularly for retailers. Also enhancing retail appeal, Vena reports that this is the first year EDOM is offering a sticker with a scannable Databar UPC for improved accuracy at the register.
According to John Vena Inc. Director of Marketing Emily Kohlhas, Wonderful is the “gold standard” pomegranate variety in the global marketplace due to its large size, well-formed arils, high BRIX, juiciness, red color, and long shelf life. It is the ideal variety for commercial fresh market production and preferred by consumers. While Israel offers other varieties, John Vena Inc. will be sourcing exclusively Wonderful EDOMlabel fruit in order to ensure premium quality.

The season for Israeli pomegranates allows retailers to capitalize on the emphasis on health and wellness that follows the indulgent holiday season, with availability extending into March. According to Harvard Medical School, pomegranates have three times more antioxidant activity than green tea or red wine – a fact that consumers are increasingly aware of.

“A lot of work has been done to establish pomegranates in the consumer market, so the awareness is there” says Kohlhas. “But it’s important to focus on the benefits of whole fruit over processed pomegranate products. Arils are preferred over juice from a nutrition standpoint for their fiber content, and fresh arils are
preferred over pre-processed ones that have begun to deteriorate in flavor and texture. The superior eating experience benefits the consumer, and the ease of handling whole poms versus arils with an extremely short shelf life benefits the retailer – a win-win!”

BDA/Dorot Farm launches product for the new export season

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 18:20:18 GMT

BDA/Dorot Farm, the number one exporter of fresh and sweet carrots from Israel, is launching product for the new season at The NY produce show on Dec.15.2021.

Dorot Farm supplies fresh and sweet carrots to the wholesale markets, foodservice, processor and ‘fresh and cut’ companies and cello carrots to the major retail chains.

“The new crop from Dorot Farm looks good, and I’m very happy with the fields’ conditions.” says Ami Ben-Dror, CEO of BDA/Dorot Farm (pictured in attached photo checking the new crop on his recent visit to Israel). “We will be ready to deliver our new crop to all of our loyal customers around the world” adds Ben-Dror.

People can see the new crop at the NY produce show Booth 632.

BDA/Dorot Farm Number 1 Grower Group, is the number 1 exporter of fresh and sweet carrots around the world, exporting to North America, Europe and Africa. Our jumbo carrots and cello carrots are delivered fresh direct from our farm to the customers.

Nanovel to introduce an autonomous tree fruit harvester

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:52:14 GMT

Isaac Mazor, founder and CEO of Israel-based Nanovel Ltd. , says the company expects to launch its beta version of an autonomous tree fruit harvester in 2023 for the citrus market.

Mazor is described in a news release as a successful serial entrepreneur in the field of semiconductors and has leveraged his experience to develop a tree fruit harvester.

The company, according to the release, has been self-funded and operating in “stealth” mode since established in 2018. Nanovel’s proprietary solution combines artificial intelligence, computer vision, machine learning and proprietary robotics technologies, to enable autonomous tree fruit harvesting to become more productive, reliable and cost effective than hand harvesting, the release said.

The company has developed needed technologies, proof of concept and secured intellectual property, the release said, in addition to conducting field testing and customer demonstrations of its robotic harvester.

“Farm labor shortage is one of the main challenges we are facing today,” Tal Fogelman, a California grower and business development adviser to Nanovel, said in the release. “Nanovel’s solution will be serving a multibillion-dollar market that is currently relying on the traditional method of manual picking.”

The release said Nanovel Autonomous Tree Fruit Harvester will give multiple benefits to growers:

Deep foliage real-time ‘Find and Pick’ capability is enabled by edge vision and computing.
Supports gripping and trimming using proprietary technology suitable for a wide variety of fruit types: citrus, stone fruit, avocado, mango and more.
Reliable harvest scheduling.
Valuable insights of yield and quality by big data collection and analysis.
Cost-competitive compared to traditional manual picking.

Fresh carrot exporter launches 2023 season with shipments to North America and Europe

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:11:01 GMT

Israel-based fresh and sweet carrot grower BDA/Dorot Farm recently began its 2023 export season to North America and Europe.

“The new crop from Dorot Farm looks good, and I’m very happy with the field’s conditions.” Ami Ben-Dror, CEO of BDA/Dorot Farm, said in a news release. “We will be ready to deliver our new crop to all of our loyal customers around the world.”

Related news: Organic carrots account for 18.9% of total carrot sales

Dorot Farm supplies fresh jumbo carrots to retail markets, the foodservice industry and “fresh and cut” companies, as well as cello carrots in 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-pound bags, and provides organic carrots to the major retail chains in the Northeast and Canada.

BDA/Dorot Farm Grower Group exports fresh and sweet carrots around the world, sending to North America, Europe and Africa, according to the release. Jumbo carrots, cello and organic carrots are delivered fresh, direct from its farm to customers.

Agmatix partners with NASA Harvest to support the use of sustainable agricultural practices

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:11:57 GMT

Tel Aviv, Israel-based agtech company Agmatix is partnering with NASA Harvest to support crop production in a sustainable way at the field level and mitigate the effect of climate change.

Satellite imagery alongside ground measurements will be analyzed using the Agmatix platform to inform sustainable on-farm decisions, according to a news release.

A combination of ground sampling and remote sensing data will be used to support farmers in their transition toward sustainable agriculture, the release said.

NASA Harvest is NASA’s global food security and agriculture consortium, the release said, with a mission to enable and advance adoption of satellite Earth observations by public and private organizations to benefit food security, agriculture and environmental resiliency worldwide, the release said.

NASA Harvest will provide its expertise on agricultural remote sensing and leverage tools developed by the consortium, which will then be combined with field data from Agmatix and processed using a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm, the release said. The release said that these data-driven insights can help farmers make field-level decisions that impact sustainability most effectively, such as cover crop selection and fertilizer application.

“According to the World Economic Forum, sustainable agriculture practices must triple in order to prevent climate change,” Ron Baruchi, CEO of Agmatix, said in the release. “Currently, adoption is hindered by a lack of consistent and acceptable measurements at scale. Our collaboration will promote resilient agriculture beginning with smallholder farms in India and commercial farms in Brazil, and lead to further expansion worldwide.”