Commercial ripening has come a long way over the past 30 years. From air-stacking boxes in temperature-controlled holding rooms to today’s ultra-advanced, digitally controlled ripening room systems that can uniformly ripen multiple truckloads of palletized fruit to the exact same color at the exact same time.
As the global leader in commercial ripening room design and construction, Thermal Technologies has been at the forefront of the industry since their first, patented “TarpLess” ripening rooms were installed for Jewell-Osco back in 1994. These were the first multi-truckload rooms to ripen palletized fruit without the use of tarps or moveable closure systems.
We spoke with VP of Sales David Byrne about where the industry is today, and where it’s headed in 2026 and beyond. Following are excerpts of that conversation.
Q: Pressurized ripening rooms have been around for a while now. What’s different about rooms today versus 10 or 20 years ago?
Byrne: Back when we installed our first multi-truckload rooms 30 years ago, we could not have imagined the volumes of fruit being processed in our rooms today. Billions of pounds, more than 70 percent of all bananas sold at retail in North America, which is a huge number.
Of course, the technology has advanced somewhat from where we started. And the biggest difference today are the digital controls and sensors that allow you to ripen proactively instead of reactively, with increased control over the results based on our improved understanding of the fruit respiration process.
Today’s rooms can ripen to different stages in the same room at the same time. They can also ripen multiple fruit types, like bananas for one cycle and avocados for the next. And of course, they are more energy efficient due to advances in fan, evaporator and control technology while also being easier to clean and maintain. And yet with all this added functionality and efficiency, ROI on the rooms remains the same as it was 30 years ago – typically in 2 years or less.
Q: What are the latest trends you’re seeing when it comes to retail ripening?
Byrne: There’s a big push underway by some of our larger retail customers to standardize the ripening process across all DC’s company wide. The goal is to potentially automate the ripening process so as to achieve predictable, uniform ripening results at every store location, with centralized oversight at the corporate level.
Though impossible just a few short years ago, this is something we can now achieve thanks to advances in digital tracking technology, digital ripening technology, and the immense data processing capabilities of artificial intelligence. An example of this is our strategic partnership with Strella Biotech, whose AI assisted platform uses predictive data modeling to automate the ripening process.
Strella uses accumulated ripening data to determine the adjustments that are needed during the ripening cycle. Their platform can be fully integrated with the TarpLess ripening room operating system, so that once those determinations are made, the rooms make those adjustments automatically to deliver predictably uniform results.
Strella is currently rolling out the platform for a couple of large retailers who use our rooms, which is exciting! This is just one of many trends we’ll be seeing in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). The good thing is our rooms are designed in such a way that it gives us maximum flexibility to interact with technology platforms like Strella and others, so that we can offer a full variety of ripening solutions for our customers.
Q: So is the goal to take human decision making out of the ripening process?
For some, possibly. For others, most definitely no. That’s why we work closely with each of our clients and partners to determine exactly how they want their particular ripening process to work and to give them the system they need to meet their goals accordingly. Overall the trend is to have as much data as possible and to lessen variables from DC to DC. That’s why we’re seeing increased demand for visibility and oversight at the corporate level to better monitor and manage the process.
Of course, data is key to all of this, so we’re always working on ways to enhance data collection through every step of the ripening process. Most recently, we developed a new optical gas analyzer that records real-time readings of ethylene and carbon dioxide levels in the room with greater accuracy and reliability than any previous sensor technology.
Called RipeScan, it can be used to adjust the ripening process based on gas levels in the room for maximum quality. While this may not sound like much, it’s actually a significant step forward, because this allows you to control ripening based on fruit respiration instead of timing, for ripening efficiencies not foreseen 30 years ago.
We’re also working on new ways to push data from multiple PLC control systems using secure, cloud-based technologies that will allow senior management to access and monitor ripening activities across all DC’s at all times. Combined with the ever-increasing expertise in collecting and utilizing data, this is definitely getting us to a place where ripening SOP’s can be developed and implemented as needed across multiple DC’s.
Q: In closing, where do you see the industry going from here?
Of course, it’s hard know what the future will bring. And no one has a crystal ball to say where this is all headed. From our perspective, the key is staying plugged in to all applicable technologies, to be out-in-front and prepared to implement them as they evolve. Ripening is organic; it’s a living thing. So from our perspective, the most important thing is to stay flexible and to be ready to incorporate advancements when and as needed, to keep our clients on the cutting edge of technologies that maximize the fruit quality and ripening efficiency. We’ve come a long way in 30 years and we’re staying tuned for what comes next.
[RELATED: Coming Soon To A DC Near You: Fully Automated, AI Assisted Banana Ripening]
