As a heatwave hit Eastern Washington over the summer, it effected the blueberry harvest and flooded the market with fruit that yielded lower than normal prices.  Growers were faced with either selling their crop at a discount immediately or dumping their fruit into the processor market.

“2021 was a very challenging season for us,” exclaimed Jeff Weijohn, owner of Sorbatto Fresh a grower in Yakima, WA.  “The heat wave not only affected fruit quality, but also caused the market to collapse during the high production season. Using the RipeLockers allowed us to ride out the turbulent market by storing fruit that would have gone to waste. The fruit that came out of the RipeLocker’s not only retained its quality but was able to be sold at a much higher price two months later when the market recovered. Due to this extended season’s success, we are excited to commit to a week’s worth of process capacity in RipeLockers next year.”

By using RipeLocker containers, Sorbatto Fresh greatly extended its normal selling season to sustain and increase their margins.  The benefits of RipeLocker’s patented postharvest technology creates value to growers and retailers in providing consumers with quality fruit for longer periods of time.

Sorbatto Fresh plans to use the RipeLocker containers it leases to store its blueberries and potentially other perishables in the future. The company endeavors to scale up to between 500 and 600 containers for next season.

The Technology Behind RipeLocker Containers

RipeLocker containers offer a unique, patented system to manage the atmospheric pressure, humidity, and gas composition (oxygen and CO2) within the containers to extend the life of fresh produce and flowers. Based on the specific needs of each type of fresh produce or flower, RipeLocker tailors operating parameters, such as internal pressure, oxygen, and CO2 levels, to optimize the longevity and freshness. The system responds to changes in the storage or shipping environment, making automatic precise adjustments to prevent damage and reduce decay.

RipeLocker designed its pallet-sized containers so that they can easily be deployed and used in the existing cold chain. Produced using novel materials and highly scalable manufacturing processes, the RipeLocker container is the first solution that can be delivered cost effectively in mass volume. RipeLocker has patents on both the container design and method of operation.

About RipeLocker
RipeLocker has patented a radical innovation designed to disrupt and change the existing postharvest technologies and processes of preserving the life and freshness of perishables. The company’s dynamic, low-atmosphere containers are used for storing and shipping fresh produce and flowers to extend their after-harvest life by weeks, often months. When RipeLocker containers are used, shippers and retailers reduce food waste and consumers benefit from a better taste and longer shelf-life.  RipeLocker, founded in 2016 and based in Seattle, WA, US, is a science-based and data-driven company. It continues to conduct efficacy trials of its RipeLocker containers for a variety of different crops with the largest growers in the world. For more information, go to www.ripelocker.com

Websites of companies mentioned in this news release: 

RipeLocker:  https://www.ripelocker.com
Sorbatto Fresh: https://www.sorbatto.com/

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Efficacy Trials Recently Completed with Blueberry Hill; RipeLocker Containers Available for Commercial Use this Summer

Seattle, WA—January 13, 2021— RipeLocker, a leader in extending the post-harvest life of perishables, today announced its RipeLocker containers recently held freshly harvested organic blueberries in pristine condition for eight weeks. In the trial, the company used six of its pallet-size RipeLocker containers to store fresh organic blueberries from Blueberry Hill. Based on the strong results, Blueberry Hill plans to lease commercial RipeLocker containers this summer.

In addition to growing its own blueberries, Blueberry Hill owns Sorbatto Fresh, a packing and storing facility for 20 blueberry growers in Washington State. About 90% of the blueberries managed by Sorbatto Fresh are organic. By using RipeLocker containers, Blueberry Hill can greatly extend its normal selling season for blueberries, increase margins and provide higher quality for longer periods of time to its many customers. Retailers and consumers gain better eating quality berries with longer shelf-life.

The patented, dynamic, low-atmosphere RipeLocker containers are used for storing and shipping fresh produce and flowers, and extend the post-harvest life by weeks, often months. They are pallet-size, made from recycled materials and are reusable. RipeLocker containers are leased to customers on an annual basis and the realized returns far exceed the cost of the lease. The company has already completed efficacy trials with several high-value commodities such as berries, pomegranates, cherries, papayas, fresh hops and flowers, and it expects to announce additional orders of RipeLocker containers soon.

“Using RipeLocker containers to extend the post-harvest life of fresh produce and flowers quickly translates to better quality, longer selling seasons and greater margins for growers and packers,” said George Lobisser, CEO and co-founder of RipeLocker. “We have seen excellent results in our efficacy trials, including this one with Blueberry Hill, and are confident we will soon become the preferred container for storing and shipping perishables around the world. In addition, the ultra-low oxygen and pressure environment of our RipeLocker containers makes them perfect for organics.”

“We were extremely pleased with the pristine quality of the blueberries that had been stored in the RipeLocker containers for eight weeks. They looked like they came right out of the field,” said Jeff Weijohn, owner of Blueberry Hill. “After seeing such great results, we quickly signed up to lease the RipeLocker containers as we anticipate a strong ROI from using them.”

Blueberry Hill plans to use the RipeLocker containers it leases to store and ship its blueberries and potentially other perishables in the future. The company expects to be able to use each container 4-5 times each season.

The Technology Behind RipeLocker Containers

RipeLocker containers offer a unique, patented system to manage the atmospheric pressure, humidity and gas composition (oxygen and CO2) within the containers to extend the life of fresh produce and flowers. The containers suppress pathogen growth, resulting in significantly less decay. In addition, RipeLocker containers can provide a vehicle for delivering organic fungicide vapors to kill the pathogen.

Based on the specific needs of each type of fresh produce or flower, RipeLocker tailors operating parameters, such as internal pressure, oxygen and CO2 levels, to optimize the longevity and freshness. The system responds to changes in the storage or shipping environment, making automatic precise adjustments to prevent damage and reduce decay.

RipeLocker designed its containers so that they can easily be deployed and used in the existing cold chain. Produced using novel materials and highly scalable manufacturing processes, the RipeLocker container is the first solution that can be delivered cost effectively in mass volume. RipeLocker has patents on both the container design and method of operation.

About RipeLocker
RipeLocker is a leader in extending the post-harvest life of perishables. The company’s patented, dynamic, low-atmosphere containers are used for storing and shipping fresh produce and flowers, and extend the post-harvest life by weeks, often even months. When RipeLocker containers are used, consumers benefit from better taste and shelf-life, and retailers experience less waste at their stores. RipeLocker, founded in 2016 and based in Seattle, WA, US, is a science-based and data-driven company. It has been testing the efficacy of its RipeLocker containers for several years with many of the largest growers in the world. For more information, go to www.ripelocker.com

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