Rubens is an intelligence system for the fresh fruit supply chain. With a unique combination of sensors and analytics, Rubens ensures optimal fruit quality from harvest to distribution.
Current Status
We have run pilots in Australia and internationally. A number of them have expressed their interest to acquire units and subscriptions upon launch. We have now completed the design of our proprietary (patented) technology and started collecting expressions of interests and orders from early customers. The company was initially bootstrapped and we have since then secured grants and angel investment. We are now seeking seed investment to launch the product in the market.
Problem or Opportunity
Rubens Technologies is a real-time and non-destructive technology for fruit quality assessment. Growers test fruit pre-harvest to estimate picking time. This is currently a manual process, which is time consuming and wastes fruit.
Solution (product or service)
We are digitising this process with light sensors and analytics, to predict optimal harvest time and ensure fruit characteristics for different target markets. This hand-held technology can be used at every step of the supply chain, to track fruit quality and reduce risk of product downgrade or rejection. That enables growers to achieve the highest quality, consistency, and unlock higher revenues more predictably.
Business model
We offer plans which come with the hardware and are customised according to the customer’s needs. Direct sales are designed to provide an easy onboarding to our technology, the hardware, the mobile app and the dashboard analytics that comes with it.
At the same time, many growers are better served when they can access our technology through a trusted provider, be it an agricultural supplier or an agronomist, who can also guarantee training and customer support on the ground. We seek partnerships with them to reach a larger number of customers without having to establish a large sales force.
