Hectre releases fruit-sizing dashboard for harvest
Award-winning fruit tech company Hectre has released a fruit-sizing dashboard, enabling growers to access and analyze early fruit-size data during apple harvest, according to a news release.
The dashboard can be accessed on a laptop and integrates with Hectre’s mobile fruit-sizing app, Spectre, which uses a standard iPad to detect and size fruit as soon as the first bin is picked. The real-time size information helps growers to determine whether the pick is meeting the size profile, whether fruit should be left on the tree longer, where picking crews should be allocated and to inform packing houses on what size fruit they’re sending.
With the iPad, users take a photo of a bin of fruit, and Spectre detects and sizes more than 100 apples, massively increasing quality-control size samples in seconds. Results are displayed on the iPad and laptop dashboard, which can then be accessed remotely by staff and managers. The app can be used in all weather and lighting conditions, and multiple bins can be captured at once, according to the release. Growers and packers can then access their Spectre dashboard to view, aggregate, filter and download fruit-size data, delivering rich insights on varieties, blocks and more.
For more information, visit: hectre.com.
Longtime Diamond Fruit general manager retires
David Garcia is retiring as general manager of Diamond Fruit in Hood River, Oregon, after working 45 years at the cooperative. Another longtime employee, Bob Wymore, is taking his spot, according to a news release from the company.
Garcia has served 13 years as general manager. He has been a member of the Pear Bureau Northwest for the same length of time, with two terms as chairman. He also served on the Fresh Pear Committee from 2009 to 2015. During his tenure, he has steered the cooperative through roof collapses, bin lot fires, increasing volume and the addition of a modern presize line and pallet-stacking machinery.
“It’s not easy managing a co-op, where all the growers are also the owner,” said Scott Halliday, a board member and past chairman. “He’s been able to accomplish so much because during his long tenure he has earned our respect, but most importantly the grower’s trust.”
Garcia leaves the cooperative on good footing, said Jennifer Euwer, the current board chair. “In addition to his effective leadership throughout his career, David has positioned Diamond to continue our solid performance after he retires,” she said.
Wymore has worked for Diamond for 33 years and currently is the vice president of operations, the company’s second in command.
For more information, visit: diamondfruit.com.
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