Hazel Technologies is a USDA-funded agricultural technology company that develops solutions to extend the quality shelf life of fresh produce. Its flagship product is a packaging insert sachet that delivers a controlled release of shelf-life enhancing vapor, placed in boxes of bulk produce at harvest to slow aging and prevent decay. The company works with more than 160 companies across 12 countries and counts Mission Avocado, Zespri, and Oppy among its customers. Founded in 2015 and led by CEO Aidan Mouat, Hazel is based in Chicago, IL. Hazel raised $70M in a Series C, bringing cumulative capital raised to over $87M. The company intends to use the funds to build global operations in major agricultural production areas and expand into Southeast Asia, Africa, the EU, and beyond. Hazel Technologies is a USDA-supported agricultural technology company founded in 2015 and based in Chicago, IL. It develops sachet-based products that release active, shelf-life-enhancing vapor from packaging inserts placed in boxes at harvest to slow aging and prevent fungus or decay. The company has completed over 100 pilot trials since 2017 across crops including melons, okra, apricots, avocados and cherries. Hazel works with over 100 of the largest fresh produce packers, shippers and retailers in the US and Latin America. The company plans to use new funding to continue growth of its main product line, launch new technologies and add talent. Its recent fundraise increased its cumulative financing to date, supporting commercial expansion of its core technology. Hazel Technologies develops drop-in packaging inserts that release an anti-fungal, shelf-life-extending vapor for produce. Its inserts can extend shelf life by as much as three times by preventing fungus and decay. The company is USDA-supported and is led by CEO and co-founder Aidan Mouat. Hazel closed a $3.26M Series A and intends to use the funds to increase production capacity. In 2017 and 2018 the company announced partnerships with major domestic and international produce growers, including Dresick Farms International (DFI) and Agritrade Farms International. The product targets the global food-waste problem by increasing produce shelf life via a simple packaging solution. Hazel Technologies builds shelf-life enhancement technologies aimed at extending the freshness of fresh produce to reduce food waste. The company develops treatments and packaging adjuncts that growers and shippers can apply to prolong produce shelf life. Hazel has received multiple USDA awards, including a recent $600k Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant and an earlier $100k development grant in 2016. With the new funding the company plans to explore export markets and further enhance its technology for global food-waste reduction. The USDA awarded the SBIR grant based on endorsements from growers who tested Hazel’s technologies, providing field validation. Aidan Mouat is the company’s CEO and co-founder. Chicago-based Hazel Technologies produces biodegradable, non-toxic packaging inserts—pads and sugar‑packet–sized sachets—that actively emit ingredients to slow spoilage of fruits and vegetables. Its FruitBrite packets use 1-methylcyclopropene (1‑MCP) to block ethylene receptors and delay ripening; the BerryBrite product line targets fungal threats. The company was started by Northwestern University alumni and is led by CEO Aidan Mouat. Hazel says the inserts work with existing grower and shipper infrastructure and can extend shelf life from days to weeks, enabling access to more distant markets. Hazel previously received SBIR grant funding from the USDA. The startup raised funding to ramp up manufacturing and to develop new products while expanding its commercial partnerships.

Total raised

$88M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Apr 2021