Hazel Technologies expands top staff
Produce shelf-life extension company Hazel Technologies has hired fresh produce industry veteran Mario Cervantes to its team as the new business development and sales manager. Cervantes is one of new several hires by the company.
Cervantes comes to Hazel Technologies following more than a decade of experience as an innovator in the fresh produce industry, most recently as a regional sales executive with Compac. Prior to Compac, Cervantes founded and managed a commercial vegetable farm, Tlalli Organics, in Guanajuato, Mexico and worked for Spectrum Technologies, an agriculture instrument company. Additionally, Cervantes is completing his master’s degree in agribusiness from Kansas State University. 
Derick Jiwan, senior technical lead, comes to Hazel Technologies following more than 15 years of experience focusing on the research and development side of commercial agriculture. Most recently, Jiwan spent five years as a genetics researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture and had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with growers to develop new crop varieties.
Additionally, Hazel Technologies welcomes the following new team members:
- Laura Blaser, operations lead
- Ken Kurita, sales and operations analyst
- Shriya Subedy, postharvest scientist
- Emily Moy, production scientist
As the Hazel team grows, the company has expanded its headquarters in Chicago by nearly two-and-a-half times its original size to accommodate the growth in innovation and people.
Additionally, the upgraded facility features a new state-of-the-art postharvest produce lab, brand new refrigeration rooms and modified atmosphere capabilities. This lab will be used to provide technical support for Hazel’s customers, which include some of the largest growers, packers and shippers of fresh produce in the world.
