New Zealand-based Compac has presented its latest internal grading technology to the Latin American market at the World Avocado Congress 2019.
The post-harvest solutions and services provider showcased the Inspectra2 in the region for the first time, in addition to promoting its Spectrim at the exhibition in Medellín, Colombia. Compac also shared its expertise briefing session at the event, the Compac Executive Breakfast.
Although Compac is already established in various Latin American markets including in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, this is the first time the company has brought this latest internal grading technology.
The Inspectra2 measures conditions such as dry matter content, which is key to the avocado market because of its correlation to fruit storability.
It uses Compac’s non-invasive, near-infrared (NIR) technology for analysing the internal properties of the avocado, measuring conditions that are invisible externally.
This enables packers to protect their brand ensuring that customers only receive high-quality produce. It also helps operators to optimise the maturity and supply chain routing based on the avocado’s internal quality.
Compac has been working collaboratively with New Zealand’s international development agency, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NTZE) to bring these kinds of solutions and its knowledge to the Latin American markets.
In Colombia, with the agency’s support, it has been developing relationships with industry organisations such as Corpohass, the Hass Avocado growers and exporters association of Colombia, the Chambers of Commerce and local authorities.
These activities have led to the visit of the Mayor of Manizales, capital of the Caldas department (Colombia’s second-largest producer of Hass avocado), to the Compac development facility in a fact-finding mission organized with the support of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NZTE.
