New Accelerator Lures Technology Companies to the Produce Industry

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

The International Fresh Produce Association has launched a new accelerator program to attract technology companies to bring their innovations to the produce industry. This program, called Fresh Field Catalyst, is intended to introduce companies that have already established themselves elsewhere to the opportunities in produce says VP of Innovation Vonnie Estes.

Estes… “It'll really be working with companies and then taking them through and really introducing them at a very high level to the produce industry, which I think it would be impossible to get any other way.”

Estes says the program will immerse them in the industry in person followed by six months of virtual meetings, support, and mentorship with key people from the industry.

Estes… “There are so many crops, you know, there are so many different technologies. There's different size farms, different types of people, all these different things. And so how do you bring a technology into that, and as a technology provider, how do you make money? Because everything is so fragmented.”

These companies might come from outside of agriculture or outside of the country, or from other segments of the ag industry.

Estes… “In the past, certainly when I was working with venture capitalists years ago, they would always steer people away from any kind of specialty crop. And they would say, you know, go make your mark in corn and soy, and then maybe you can expand. So I'm hoping to attract some of those companies and technologies as well.”

Go to the technology page on FreshProduce.com to learn more and apply: https://www.freshproduce.com/resources/technology/.