Hazel Technologies is a company that’s creating technologies to reduce waste in the fresh produce supply chain. Learn more about Hazel Technologies and their products today in our review.
What is Hazel Technologies?
Hazel Technologies is a lineup of products and services that aim to improve efficiency in the food industry – specifically, with fresh produce.
So far, the company has created two core products, including BerryBrite and FruitBrite. Both products are packaging systems that lengthen the lifespan of berries and fruits, enhancing efficiency and reducing waste – even when fruits are transported around the world.
Why is Hazel Technologies important? The official Hazel Technologies website reports that “over 30% of produce harvested is never consumed”. That means that all of the resources put into creating that produce – the time, energy, money, and water – is also wasted.
The waste doesn’t occur at one specific stage of the supply chain: it occurs at multiple stages. That’s why Hazel Technologies believes its technology is important.
Hazel Technologies recently made headlines for attracting $800,000 in funding. It plans to use that funding to increase manufacturing while introducing new products to the market. Today, the company has two technologies available to supply chain producers.
Hazel Technologies Products & Services
So far, Hazel Technologies has introduced two core technologies to the market, including FruitBrite and BerryBrite.
FruitBrite
FruitBrite is a carton insert that extends the shelf life of ethylene-sensitive produce – especially tropical produce varieties and commercial melon cultivars. The product contains patent-pending technology.
As proof that FruitBrite works, Hazel Technologies has published a list of studies at its Data page here. Those studies examine the effects that FruitBrite has on extending the lifespan of onions, mango, mushrooms, melons, and dozens of other types of produce. In each case, FruitBrite added a significant amount onto the lifespan of fresh produce when compared with traditional packing materials.
The FruitBrite system is being marketed towards fresh produce transporters. The products can be used in shipping containers, planes, trucks, and other delivery systems to enhance the lifespan of produce.
BerryBrite
BerryBrite is a flat insert that uses a blend of essential oils to enhance the shelf life of berries by up to 3 times in cold storage. Like FruitBrite, it contains patent-pending technology.
BerryBrite has also gone through its own studies showing that it works as advertised to extend the lifespans of fruit. BerryBrite was studied in an 18 day raspberry case study, for example, and an 8 week grape case study.
In both situations, BerryBrite significantly improved the lifespan of the fruit. BerryBrite also significantly reduced the presence of infection in raspberries. In images, you can see a noticeable difference between the quality of the produce stored with BerryBrite, and the quality of the produce stored with conventional systems.
About Hazel Technologies
Hazel Technologies is headquartered in Chicago (Skokie, to be specific) at the following address:
8025 Lamon, Suite 446
Skokie, IL 60077
The company also maintains offices in Reedley, CA (California sales), McAllen, Texas (Texas sales), and Guadalajara, Mexico (Mexico sales).
You can contact the company by email at [email protected].
Hazel Technologies is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Northwestern University Venture Challenge, VentureWell, and the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. The company recently made headlines for raising $800,000 in funding. Hazel Technologies plans to use that funding to ramp up manufacturing while developing new products.
The company was founded by Northwestern University alumni.
Ultimately, food waste is a serious issue around the world. The company frequently cites studies like one from the US Department of Agriculture that show more than 25 million pounds of post-harvest fruits and vegetables are wasted every year in the United States, which totals about $30 billion in value. Considering 42.2 million people can’t afford to eat properly in the United States, it’s easy to see why Hazel Technologies is attracting attention – and funding.
