Wheatsheaf Group Limited (Wheatsheaf), through its wholly owned food safety solutions subsidiary TriStrata Group, has acquired 90 percent of Purfresh, a global provider of specialized controlled atmosphere systems which are designed to reduce the risk of high value cargo loss through spoilage in refrigerated ocean shipping containers.
Based in San Francisco, California, Purfresh said its technology combines controlled atmosphere and active atmosphere with ozone technology to reduce food waste (delaying ripening, reducing decay), extend shelf life and improve food safety (reducing food-borne pathogens) without the use of harsh chemicals.
Purfresh's cloud-based proprietary cargo monitoring software, Intellipur®, provides customers with real-time visibility into, and remote control of the conditions of temperature-sensitive cargo shipped in refrigerated marine containers around the world.
Purfresh’s controlled atmosphere system is typically used for shipping high value fruits such as blueberries, avocados, and mangos, but also offers ozone atmosphere technology for non-climateric fruit cargos such as grapes, pineapples, and citrus products. Its customers include global ocean carriers, 3PL’s, fruit growers, and international fruit import and export companies.
Graham Ramsbottom, CEO of Wheatsheaf, said: “We are delighted to support Purfresh in its next stage of growth. Purfresh aligns very closely with our strategy of investing in companies that drive efficiencies in the food supply chain while also providing a tangible social benefit. The technology is proven to increase food safety without the need for any harsh chemicals and reduce waste in the global shipping of perishable goods.”
Christian DeBlasio, CEO of Purfresh, said: “Wheatsheaf were the obvious partner to support Purfresh’s growth. Wheatsheaf has committed significant funding to support a rapid rollout of our technology to meet growing customer demand.”
He added, "Our company could not be more enthusiastic about our future trajectory now that Wheatsheaf has completed this acquisition. Maintaining quality in fresh fruit and produce transported overseas is one of our top priorities, but Wheatsheaf recognizes that addressing food safety is a paramount factor in the global agricultural marketplace. Our Purfresh technology stands alone in the ocean transport marketplace in that arena.”
