Major New Zealand citrus grower signs on for Spectre
First Fresh NZ, a major citrus supplier to the domestic market in New Zealand, has taken the global lead as the first citrus enterprise to sign on to Spectre, the computer vision fruit sizing tool developed by New Zealand start-up, Hectre. Spectre uses computer vision, machine learning and AI technology to detect fruit size, all from the simple click of an iPad or iPhone. Sample sizes captured by Spectre are 100 times those obtained in traditional sizing practices and accuracy levels are extremely high. Results are served up within seconds making Spectre the fastest and most accurate, portable computer vision citrus sizing tool available on the market, explains Hectre CEO, Matty Blomfield.
CMI Orchards, its growers and partners have tapped into current consumer trends to build its business.
“Our shared expertise and emphasis on data analysis helped us identify consumer and retail trends, then position our efforts to maximize those opportunities,” explained Bob Mast, president of CMI Orchards.
Here are some trends CMI highlighted:
Online shopping: “We were focusing on ways to support retailers recognizing that a large portion of shoppers were already migrating to online purchasing versus in-store. When COVID-19 hit last spring, we were positioned to pivot to the changes in consumer shopping habits,” explained Rochelle Bohm, brand manager for CMI Orchards.
How technology helps to propel growth
The umbrella of CMI Orchards’ owners and partners are using cutting-edge technology from the orchard to packing facilities.
“A big focus at CMI Orchards is to strategically forecast marketplace dynamics 10 years from now. This helps us understand how technology can be used to help our growers produce fruit in the most efficient manner to meet anticipated consumer demands,” explained Bob Mast, president of CMI Orchards.
One example of this is the software used in orchards to monitor soil moisture levels at different elevations. “This digital monitoring provides real-time data on temperature, soil moisture and wind speed to my phone. This helps maintain proper fruit size and reduces disease and waste in our organic blocks,” explained Mike Robinson, co-owner of Double Diamond Fruit.