Grocery retailer begins pilot to use proven AI solution to optimize fresh department operational decisions, minimize waste and deliver longer-lasting produce

‍SAN FRANCISCO and CHANDLER, AZ, September 21, 2021 - Afresh Technologies, an AI-driven technology company building solutions that are transforming the fresh food supply chain, and Arizona’s hometown grocer, Bashas’, have partnered to pilot Afresh’s Fresh Operating System in select stores throughout Arizona.

Bashas’ is integrating the first and only AI-powered solution optimized for the complexity of fresh produce into its daily operations to empower produce managers and merchandising teams to run leaner, more efficient operations. Afresh will enable Bashas’ to more effectively handle the unpredictable nature of fresh foods, generating more accurate orders and increasing the longevity of its fresh produce before it even hits the shelves.     

“As Arizona’s hometown grocer, we believe that shelf life belongs to our customers, and Afresh will help us give our shoppers more days of delicious, fresh produce,” said Steve Mayer, Chief Merchandising Officer. “We are excited to bring an innovative technology that streamlines ordering so that all our team members—from our veteran produce managers to new hires—can write perfect orders and spend more time on the floor serving our customers.”

“We created Afresh to empower grocers and look forward to helping Bashas’ achieve impactful results using our Fresh Operating System,” said Matt Schwartz, CEO and co-founder of Afresh. “Stores using Afresh have reduced food waste by 25%, out of stocks by 80% and increased sales by 3% on average across their chain, month after month.”

About Afresh Technologies

‍Afresh is on a mission to eliminate food waste and increase access to fresh, nutritious food with the first Fresh Operating System built specifically to overcome fresh food’s challenges. With Afresh, grocery retailers like Heinen’s, Winco, and Fresh Thyme order billions of dollars of perishables every year while reducing millions of pounds of food waste and increasing sales with fresher food that lasts longer at home. Afresh, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2017 by Matt Schwartz, Nathan Fenner, and Volodymyr Kuleshov. Learn more at www.afresh.com.  

About Bashas’

Bashas' Family of Stores – the family-owned grocer that operates Food City, AJ's Fine Foods, Eddie's Country Store, and both Bashas' and Bashas' Diné supermarkets – is an Arizona-based company founded by brothers Ike and Eddie Basha, Sr. With more than 100 grocery stores, it is one of the largest employers in the state and one of the Best Places to Work in Arizona. Since the company's inception in 1932, Bashas' has given back more than $100 million to the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.bashas.com.