Yield Forecasting: Powered by FruitCast
Dedicated to Supporting Farmers | Dr Raymond Martin
Dr Raymond Martin founded FruitCast in 2021 after completing his PhD. Since then, FruitCast has been focused on getting the basics right - in yield forecasting, crop management, weather forecasting, reducing waste and providing farmers support.
Over £3m has been invested so far for further innovation and to build a full team of berry experts to take to the commercial market at the end of 2024. FruitCast is a team of individuals deeply rooted in agriculture, including our CEO Richard Williamson (previously Farms Director of Velcourt and Managing Director of Dyson Farming), bringing valuable industry experience and leadership to FruitCast.
Joining the leadership team, Simon Pearson (director of LIAT, Professor of Agri-Food Technology), Ben Wills (360 Rural, previously Dyson Farming) and Jim Dobson (Cottagequinn Investments).
Technology in Agriculture
Dr Martin is dedicated to the future of sustainable British fruit farming. The soft fruit industry is heavily reliant on accurate yield forecasting, a critical factor in preventing financial loss and optimising farm operation. Inaccurate forecasting has lead to losses exceeding £1M in a single week for the UK strawberry market.
FruitCast was established in response to a direct request from UK farmers for improved yield forecasting solutions. Over the past two years, we have partnered with four leading UK strawberry growers to trial and refine our technology. This collaboration has enabled us to create software that helps farmers accurately forecast berry yields, allowing them to better plan labour, manage market supply, and ultimately safeguard their profit margins.
Start-ups often face significant challenges, which is why FruitCast invested heavily in research to validate our approach. It remains important to FruitCast that our technologies are trusted, a large part of that is ensuring we deliver services that are ready across all types of farms and biologies. Our extensive studies, backed by Innovate UK and our early access growers, have shown that combining digital observation with advanced AI software delivers stable and accurate yield predictions. Our technology can forecast berry maturity up to six weeks in advance, eliminating guesswork and enabling farmers to plan their operations with unprecedented precision.
FruitCast CTO, Dr Raymond Martin, reflects on the early days:
"Despite my experience in this field, our early stages were not without challenges. Securing investment in a low-margin market, known for its difficulties, was a significant hurdle. Looking back at how far we've come, we're now a team of almost 20 passionate individuals who care deeply about our grower base. With a secure funding roadmap to take our product to market and a business model that allows us to provide a personal service to each and every grower."
Looking ahead, FruitCast remains committed to driving innovation in the soft fruit industry and supporting farmers with cutting-edge technology. By working closely with growers, we are on track to bring our solution's to the commercial market by the end of 2024.
At FruitCast, we're not just building technology—we're building the future of farming, for all growers.
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