Like many other produce commodities, the strawberry industry is faced with a labor shortage. “Labor is a two-fold problem,” says Gary Wishnatzki Co-Founder of Harvest CROO Robotics and owner of Wish Farms. “As a grower-shipper of Florida and California strawberries, we experience the difficulty of finding workers to harvest our crop each season. In addition, labor costs have gone up significantly. Over time, the labor challenges will only become worse.”
Patent-Approved Picking Wheel
“I have known engineer Bob Pitzer for a number of years,” continued Wishnatzki. “One of his biggest strengths is the ability to collaborate with people in robotics. Together, we have founded Harvest CROO Robotics and started working on the development of an automated strawberry picker.” In a recent press release, Wishnatzki discusses details on its first approved patent for the Pitzer Wheel, an autonomous and continuous picking wheel on the apparatus. “This patent is a huge milestone for us,” said Wishnatzki. “I really believe the Pitzer Wheel is the heart of the invention putting us steps closer in our mission to revolutionize the ag-tech industry.”
Picking during cooler hours of the day
From the beginning, the goal has been to work on a system that does not require the grower to change the way they grow strawberries today. One key benefit of the strawberry picking machine is the capability to pick during evening hours. “Picking during the cooler parts of the day saves a lot of energy at the coolers. As a result, it could double the throughput of the pre-cooler,” mentioned Wishnatzki.
Machines will be leased to growers
Once on the market, Harvest CROO Robotics wants to lease the automated strawberry picker to growers on a per box-basis. The grower would not have to make any investments and will be able to lower its labor costs dramatically. “Based on current estimates, labor costs will decrease about 10 percent,” shared Wishnatzki. Today, the industry is faced with $1 billion in labor expenses as strawberries need to be picked every three days.
Capacity is 25 acres in 3 days
In Florida, one platform can pick 25 acres of strawberries over a 3-day cycle. In California, due to higher yields, acreage covered in a cycle is a bit lower. The U.S. grows about 50,000 acres of strawberries. A total of 2,500 automated strawberry pickers would be needed to cover 100 percent of the domestic strawberry industry. At the moment, 13 percent of U.S. strawberry growers have invested in Harvest CROO Robotics and will be using the machines when they become available. “I expect by 2020 we will be ready to begin filling investors’ orders,” finished Wishnatzki. The company plans on starting in the U.S., but expects to expand outside the country over time.
For more information:
Gary Wishnatzki
Harvest CROO Robotics / Wish Farms
O: (813)498-4278
C: (813)335-3959