Agrofresh and Strella partner on apples and pears

Agrofresh Solutions has announced a partnership with sensor technology developer Strella, with a global exclusive distribution agreement to launch immediately for the Northern Hemisphere’s apple and pear season.

According to Agrofresh, the move is part of its commitment to bring forward cutting-edge technological solutions that reduce food loss and promote sustainable agriculture.

“We are excited to be working together with Strella to expand the reach for this innovative technology and provide our customers with the data and insights they need to help reduce food waste and maintain the quality and freshness of apples and pears as they move through the supply chain,” said Clint Lewis, chief executive officer for AgroFresh.

“Our partnership with Strella expands our comprehensive portfolio of post-harvest solutions and further supports our customers in their efforts to grow and distribute an abundant supply of sustainable fresh produce around the world.”

Strella’s proprietary sensors collect real-time perishability data on apples and pears while they are in storage, allowing customers to make data-driven inventory decisions to maintain freshness and protect the value of their produce in storage to yield a higher quality pack out with limited disruptions in supply to the market.

The groups said that the technology would complement Agrofresh’s FreshCloud platform.

FreshCloud is an integrated digital platform that provides end-to-end data visibility and monitoring of produce quality at all points along the value chain and ”moves the quality-control (QC) inspection process to the digital age”.

“We are thrilled to be working together with Agrofresh,” said Katherine Sizov, chief executive officer at Strella. “We work hard to provide the best service we can to our customers and believe that partnering with a customer-focused organization like AgroFresh will help us bring our solution to more packers across the globe.

”Our focus is to use technology and data to enable smarter decisions across the supply chain,” Sizov noted. ”Addressing inefficiencies in fruit storage is a critical step in building a more resilient future in food.”