CHICAGO, IL - With fall coming up on my doorstep, I am keeping my cool with a bounty of apples, and Hazel Technologies is ensuring the quality and safety of this year’s harvest with its Hazel 100™ bin sachets. The versatile and reliable solution provides elusive advantages for small- to mid-sized growers.

“There are many apple growers, especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest, who do not have the space to use traditional controlled atmosphere applications of 1-MCP,” said Eli Cannell, AgTech Account Executive at Hazel Technologies. “I have seen the Hazel 100 bin sachet completely transform the post-harvest success of a grower by giving them the additional time 1-MCP provides apples, especially in smaller storage rooms that hold multiple varieties at once or even hallways when storage gets tight. It’s really leveling the playing field for growers.”

According to USApple, the United States grows about 11.1 billion pounds of apples every year. Hazel Tech® provides a versatile and reliable solution for these small, mid-size, and even larger growers and cold storage operators.

Hazel 100 sachets contain fruit-protecting 1-MCP for apples, providing the elusive advantage of “flexibility” during post-harvest when unexpected challenges against a rigid timeline can have significant consequences.

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“We have about 200 acres of apples, so quality is obviously important in all aspects of our wholesale and retail business,” said Joe Burnham, Owner of Berlin Heights, Ohio-based Burnham Orchards. “One thing we have done over the past couple of years is using the Hazel 100 bin sachet. It’s definitely been an asset in how we manage storage and quality of the fruit at storage and after. Gala is a variety that benefits greatly by using the sachets, and we’ve seen great effect putting sachets in with Golden Delicious. We’re extremely impressed with the effect Hazel 100 has had on our quality.”

With the implementation of Hazel 100 technology, noted the release, a controlled atmosphere room isn’t required, and the speed of fruit at receiving is not a concern. Regardless of storage location, Hazel 100 can simply be dropped into a bin of apples, where it immediately starts releasing 1-MCP to delay fruit respiration and help it maintain its firmness and overall quality.

“The Hazel 100 bin sachet is so easy when you have many varieties,” said Gregg Bachman, Owner of Carroll, Ohio-based Bachman’s Sunny Hill Fruit Farm. “I don’t need to isolate the apples or put them in a separate room, and I can move apples in and out without affecting the 1-MCP treatment. The time release means my apples are constantly being treated with the time-release technology.”

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