May 22, 2018

Hazel Technologies expands staff, facility

Hazel Technologies recently announced a series of high-profile hires, and an expansion of its headquarters in Chicago.

The USDA-supported company helps growers, packers, and shippers of produce extend the shelf-life of their fruits and vegetables.

To support the company’s fast-growing partnerships, Hazel welcomes seven new members to its team of passionate people who share a commitment to post-harvest research.

Among the new hires is fresh produce industry veteran Mario Cervantes, who will be the new business development and sales manager.

Cervantes comes to Hazel Technologies following more than a decade of experience as an innovator in the fresh produce industry, most recently as a Regional Sales Executive with Compac, which specializes in high-speed packinghouse technology. Prior to Compac, Cervantes founded and managed a commercial vegetable farm, Tlalli Organics, in Guanajuato, Mexico and worked for Spectrum Technologies, an agriculture instrument company. He is completing a master’s degree in agribusiness from Kansas State University.

“After working for over a decade on the cutting edge of fresh produce packing as both a grower and technology provider, I was excited to see the powerful impact Hazel’s products are already having on the fresh industry,” Cervantes said.

Derick Jiwan, Ph.D., Senior Technical Lead, comes to Hazel Technologies following more than 15 years of experience focusing on the research and development side of commercial agriculture. Most recently, Jiwan spent five years as a genetics researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture and had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with growers to develop new crop varieties.

Other Hazel Technologies hires include:

• Laura Blaser, MBA, Operations Lead
• Ken Kurita, Sales and Operations Analyst
• Shriya Subedy, Post-Harvest Scientist
• Emily Moy, Production Scientist
• Nick Moore, Production Scientist

As the Hazel team grows, the company has expanded its headquarters in Chicago by nearly two-and-a-half times its original size to accommodate the growth in innovation and people. The upgraded facility features a new state-of-the-art post-harvest produce lab, brand new refrigeration rooms and modified atmosphere capabilities.

“Our support from the United States Department of Agriculture and Western Growers Association have played a crucial role in our ability to increase our company resources, reduce food waste in the fresh produce industry, and improve the customer eating experience,” said Aidan Mouat, CEO and Co-Founder of Hazel Technologies.