CHICAGO, IL - You may not be able to wave your hand over a crystal ball and find out what’s in store for the fresh produce industry, but you can click on AndNowUKnow and find out the latest in category advancement and innovation—and that’s pretty close, if you ask me. As we look into the present and the future of the table grape category, Hazel Technologies is guaranteeing growth, announcing a successful trial with Jac. Vandenberg on Chilean table grape imports, post-arrival.

“Hazel 100™ is predominately used by growers, packers, and shippers, but this trial has shown us that Hazel 100 sachets can provide additional shelf-life when applied at any point of the supply chain,” said Nicolas Tomicic, Business Development Manager-AgTech at Hazel Technologies. “Seeing the greener stems on the Thompsons treated by Jac. Vanderburg was truly rewarding and opens up a lot of new opportunities for table grape importers into the United States.”

Jac. Vandenberg’s New Jersey Import Operations Department received two groups of Thompson seedless grapes that were packed in Chile on April 13 and arrived in the States 57 and 61 days later, a press release explained. Hazel Tech’s flagship technology Hazel 100 was applied to each box of grapes upon arrival.

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At the conclusion of the trial, Vandenberg reported higher quality in the grapes protected by Hazel 100 for two to three weeks after arrival. The company also noted significantly greener stems, which it attributes to seeing less shatter in the Hazel 100-protected fruit.

“Thompsons are a very complex and very popular variety of table grape worldwide,” said John Paap, Brand Manager at Jac. Vandenberg. “Seeing the noticeably greener stems in the grapes protected by Hazel 100, even after their extended amount of time on the water before treatment, is very exciting. Being able to get an additional few weeks out of these table grapes is something we could only hope for as an importer. With Hazel 100, it’s possible.”

Jac. Vandenberg is a distributor of fresh fruit imports with over 75 years of experience, whose portfolio includes cherries, citrus, table grapes, and more. The company imports fruits from over 10 countries, distributing them to supermarkets and wholesalers across the continental United States and Canada.

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