Jul 16, 2024

Fruitways captures value in pome fruit with AgroFresh partnership

AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., has partnered with South Africa’s Fruitways to improve apple storage and quality using the SmartFresh Quality System and Harvista 1.3 SC. This collaboration has enabled Fruitways to extend storage times and maintain fruit quality throughout the season.

AgroFresh, a postharvest solutions company, has strengthened its longstanding partnership with Fruitways. The integration of AgroFresh’s SmartFresh Quality System has allowed Fruitways to extend storage times and access new markets by maintaining fruit quality over an extended season, according to a news release.

“AgroFresh is an important supplier partner for us,” Jaco Moelich, general manager of technical services at Fruitways, said in the release. “Both Harvista and SmartFresh give us valuable tools to determine the timeframe for harvest and when to pack the fruit for our clients. SmartFresh has transformed our post-harvest process and decision-making on storage and marketing.”

The addition of Harvista 1.3 SC, a near-harvest product, further enhances Fruitways’ ability to manage produce quality.

“The climate is not always ideal for color development,” Moelich said in the release. “Harvista allows us to delay harvest for better color and size, while SmartFresh ensures crisp texture during storage, long after harvest.”

“Fruitways and the pome industry benefit from AgroFresh’s research and investments in quality management. Collaborations like ours are the cornerstone of AgroFresh’s success over decades in the industry,” Peter Wood, country manager South Africa for AgroFresh, said in a release.

AgroFresh’s portfolio has expanded from the SmartFresh Quality System, based on 1-MCP, to include fungicides, coatings, and digital platforms like FreshCloud for quality inspection.

The company has also provided a video to detail more about the partnership.

For more information on AgroFresh’s solutions, visit AgroFresh.com.