Hectre has been named a winner in the 2021 AgTech Breakthrough Awards.
The global awards programme seeks outinnovative solutions and companies that address a true need, solve a complex or critical problem, or seize an opportunity and create or revolutionise a new market or industry.
All AgTech Breakthrough Award nominees were evaluated by an independent panel of experts within the ag-tech industry.Other winners in this year’s awards include Bayer, Semios and Benson Hill.
“With over 1,500 nominations this year coming in from all over the world for the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, the competition was extremely fierce,”said Bryan Vaughn, managing director of AgTech Breakthrough.
“This awards programme recognises the very best of new innovators and disruptors who are addressing the biggest challenges in the global agricultural ecosystem today. Congratulations to each and every one of our 2021 AgTech Breakthrough Award winners.”
Hectre is a New Zealand-headquartered SaaS company providing orchard management and early fruit sizing solutions for the fruit industry.
Hectre launched its first product – an app enabling orchardists to digitise key processes such as timesheet and payroll integration, harvest management, quality control and task management – to New Zealand growers in 2016.
Its technology solutions are now being used in 10 countries, including leading fruit producers in the US, Spain and South Africa.
“Being named a winner in a global awards program such as the AgTech Breakthrough Awards is fantastic external recognition for our talented team and the commitment they bring to our mission every day,” said Matty Blomfield, chief executive and co-founder of Hectre. “We feel extremely grateful to have them with us on this journey.”
Hectre’s latest innovation, Spectre, isa computer vision and machine learningAI solution, focused on delivering fast and accurate early fruit sizing data, straight from an iPad or iPhone.
Spectre detects fruit on the top layer of a fruit bin, sizes that fruit, then plots sizing estimation graphs based on the data gathered.
The solution has been designed with user simplicity in mind.
“In an industry like horticulture, it’s not enough to just create awesome technology,” said Blomfield. “You’ve got to have your eye firmly fixed on the end user, what their level of tech experience may be, what languages they use, and how they learn.”
Read more about Hectre and Spectre in the Spring edition of Produce Plus Magazine, available on the Produce Plus app now.
