CHICAGO, IL (January 13, 2020) – Hazel Technologies Inc., a USDA-supported technology company delivering new packaging solutions for fresh produce to extend shelf-life, increase sales, and combat food waste, announces Parker Booth has joined the company as Chief Operations Officer.
Mr. Booth has worked in the fresh produce industry for 35 years in various packaging technology, consumer branded food, and international logistics leadership roles.
Booth began his career at Sea and Land Services LLC, now part of A.P. Moller Maersk, and afterward became General Manager and Vice President at Transfresh Crop, a division of Fresh Express. During this time Booth supervised the development and commercialization of the Tectrol® product line, still a dominant packaging technology in the fresh produce industry.
Booth served as Vice President Sales, Food Service Distribution for Fresh Express starting in 2000, pioneering technology to package and distribute fresh-cut, ready-to-eat bagged salads and fruit.
More recently, Booth has held executive roles as President at Manteca, California-based Ace Tomato (Lagorio Family Farms), President and CEO of Salinas, California-based Organic Alliance Inc., and Vice President at Salinas-based SmartPac™ Global, LLC.
Mr. Booth’s role at Hazel Tech will focus on international operations & logistics, key commercial partnerships, and general management. He will report directly to CEO Aidan Mouat and will oversee all operations, shipping, human resources, and finance departments.
“We are beyond excited to have an individual with Parker’s deep experience joining our executive team here at Hazel” said Aidan Mouat, CEO at Hazel Technologies. “Parker’s leadership and experience in the produce industry will allow Hazel Tech to continue to flourish as the premier post-harvest solutions provider for the produce industry and other perishable categories”
“Hazel’s novel technology platform for reducing waste in the perishable supply chain, combined with their deep traction in the market despite being a young company, made this opportunity too attractive to pass up,” added Booth.
Founded in 2015, Hazel Tech®‘s technologies revolve around the release of active, shelf-life enhancing vapor from packaging materials. Hazel™ products are placed in boxes of bulk produce by packers soon after the time of harvest, extending the shelf-life of produce up to three times by slowing aging in produce and preventing decay.
Hazel®’s patent-pending technologies, tested by many of the country’s top academic research programs including UC Davis, Cornell University, and Oregon State University, were used with over 1 billion pounds of fresh produce in 2019. In 2020, Hazel expects to be used with over 3.2 billion pounds of fresh produce, preventing over 270 million pounds of fresh produce from going to waste.
About Hazel Technologies, Inc.: Hazel Technologies is a USDA-funded startup company that develops new packaging technologies to extend the quality shelf life of fresh produce. Founded in 2015, Hazel® Tech services over 100 of the largest fresh produce packers, shippers, and retailers in the world. For more information, visit www.hazeltechnologies.com.
Contact:
Jaime Kedrowski
Marketing Associate
331-431-8037
3440 S. Dearborn, Unit 112S, Chicago, IL, 60616
www.hazeltechnologies.com/
