Avocado treatment programme with Galilee Export

Save Foods is an Israeli-based agrifood tech company focused on developing and selling eco-friendly products specifically designed to extend the shelf life and ensure the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. They recently announced that it is beginning a large commercial treatment programme with Galilee Export, a leading Israeli avocado packer.

Galilee is the second-largest exporter of fresh produce in Israel, managing over 9 000 hectares of farmland, growing a wide range of fruits and vegetables for customers around the world. Avocados are their leading product, and Galilee accounts for nearly 50% of Israel's total avocado exports. Galilee also exports other fruits and vegetables, including citrus, mangoes, Medjoul dates, pomegranates, grapes, sweet peppers, carrots, lychees, peaches and nectarines.

Galilee’s avocado fields are located in Israel’s Galilee region in the north of the county. The regional climate provides a nine-month growing season, from September to May, and contributes to a range of varieties of avocado, each with different taste and quality characteristics.

Treatment on the commercial line will begin at Galilees’ packing houses and is expected to run throughout the 2021/22 growing season.

“We are pleased that Galilee has decided to launch a commercial application of Save Foods’ products,” says Dan Sztybel, CEO of Save Foods. “Galilee has one of the most advanced operations in the industry. I am confident that our treatments will continue to deliver the benefits they experienced in the smaller avocado pilots on a larger scale and ensure they safely export high-quality avocado with a better shelf life while complying with the strict regulations and protocols. Instituted by their EU customer base.”

Dror Eigerman, CEO of Galilee Export and member of the company’s advisory board, commented saying, “We have the highest quality standards in the industry to ensure that we provide our customers with excellent produce that not only complies with all regulatory demands but also remains fresh and delicious on the shelves. My experience with Save Foods, as both a customer and an advisor, has been exceptional, which gave me the confidence to initiate the commercial run on our most important produce harvest.”

Sztybel concluded, “It often takes a few growing seasons to prove our products, especially with larger companies, but over that time, we also establish a solid working relationship with them and earn their trust. Galilee is one of the leading companies in the industry, and I expect that a successful commercial test will lead to the treatment of their other many produce lines going forward.”