Hazel Technologies Extends Table Grape Freshness With Oppy™ and Brar Farms; Nico Tomicic, Mark Serpa, and Hardeep Brar Comment
CHICAGO, IL - The greener the stems, the fresher the table grapes. I quickly learned this simple yet important fact through observing Hazel Technologies and its shelf-life extending solutions. The company has had recent success, partnering with Oppy and Brar Farms to conduct a trial on California-grown table grapes.
“Hazel 100’s USDA-funded, patented time-release technology allows for optimal table grape stem protection,” said Nico Tomicic, Business Development Manager – AgTech at Hazel Tech®. “Our trial with Oppy and Brar, as well as data with leading growers from different production regions and varieties, solidifies the fact that the Hazel 100 sachet is an important new post-harvest product on the market for the grape category for suppliers and retailers alike.”
During and after testing, Oppy quality personnel found that the table grapes treated with Hazel Tech’s flagship technology at Brar Farms showed demonstrably greener stems in all trial samples taken, according to a press release.
The trial consisted of three tests conducted on two varieties: Autumn Royal and Autumn King. The release explained that commercial-scale samples of each variety were removed from cold storage and placed in ambient temperature storage to simulate retail conditions.
“In the end, at Oppy, our goal is to provide the highest quality produce to consumers,” said Marc Serpa, Director of Domestic Grapes at Oppy. “And in the States, grapes are one of the top three fruits at retail, with green grapes being the category favorite. After this trial, we know that protecting our grapes with Hazel 100 is providing our retailers with fruit that stays fresh longer which, in turn, is benefiting the American shopper.”
On the 45-day mark, the Autumn King grapes saw 23 percent more green stems, while the Autumn Royal grapes saw 47 percent greener stems.
“With each grape variety we grow, we experience a variety of post-harvest challenges,” said Hardeep Brar, Managing Partner at Brar Farms. “Seeing beneficial impacts for both green and black varieties after almost a month and a half in storage was really exciting from both a production and profit perspective.”
As Hazel Tech continues to make progress in the industry, ANUK will be here to report.
