RJN Vineyards has been growing premium table grapes for over 25 years. Founded by Reg Cua, the business operates six farms across Victoria and Queensland, Australia. They supply top domestic supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, Costco, and Aldi, while also exporting around 50% of their produce to 14 different countries.
During peak season, RJN employs up to 400 workers, with a core team of 25 managing operations year-round. RJN was also an early adopter of Clarifresh’s new SMB platform, designed to make enterprise-level quality control tools more accessible to growing businesses.
The Challenge: A Clunky, Manual QC Process
Before switching to Clarifresh, RJN’s quality control process was slow and inefficient. Inspections required a two-step process:
- Inspectors would manually document their findings in Word, take photos separately using iPads, and upload them to iCloud.
- Back in the office, the team had to retrieve the photos, match them to reports, and compile everything into an email to send to growers or export partners.
As Chelsea Stevens, RJN’s CFO put it: “It used to get a bit clunky because our quality team had to come back to the office, compile data into a Word document, retrieve photos from iCloud, and then put everything together in an email, whether for the growers we purchased fresh produce from or the export companies we were shipping to.”
The process was time-consuming from start to finish, and it required a lot of back-and-forth, in between. Chelsea, who also oversees operational efficiency, saw an opportunity to simplify things and reduce the workload on the team.
From Clunky to Cloud: A Seamless Shift with Clarifresh
After reviewing a few different options, the company chose Clarifresh for its ease of use and the support offered through its SMB platform. The transition was smooth, thanks in large part to Clarifresh’s customer success team.
“From day one, Clarifresh stood out”, explained Chelsea. “Other solutions left us waiting, but Clarifresh walked us through everything, and answered every question. By the end of the meeting, we all thought that was the easiest setup we’d ever been through”.
Clarifresh’s team walked RJN through the setup process, answering questions in real time and even making adjustments on the spot to ensure everything worked seamlessly.
The Results: Faster Inspections, Fewer Bottlenecks
With Clarifresh in place, RJN streamlined their QC process significantly:
- One-Step Inspections: Inspectors now complete reports and photos in one go, directly in the app, without the extra step of matching photos and reports later.
- Major Time Savings: The new system cut inspection time by 30% per review, freeing up QC staff for other tasks.
- Instant Reporting: Instead of waiting for inspectors to return to the office, reports are now generated and sent out in real time.
- User-Friendly Setup: The easy configuration process meant the team could get started quickly, and any questions were answered on the spot.
What’s Next? Scaling Up with AI
Looking ahead, RJN is exploring ways to further enhance its quality control process with additional Clarifresh capabilities. As their operations grow, they’re interested in leveraging AI-powered defect detection to streamline inspections even further. By optimizing their use of technology, they aim to drive even greater efficiency and accuracy across their QC workflow.
With Clarifresh, RJN Cua Vineyards has transformed quality control from a manual, time-consuming task into a seamless and efficient process. This shift has allowed their team to focus on what truly matters: delivering premium table grapes to domestic and international markets with confidence.
Start your free trial of Clarifresh today to discover how we can help your business stay ahead in fresh produce quality management.
