We are delighted to announce that Stefan Jan Michel Droogendijk from the Netherlands is the first person to complete the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center's Produce Professional Certificate Program.  He completed the entire program of 120 points (hours) in just ten months.  Despite his speedy completion of the program, Stefan will continue to have access to the online site, including videos of lectures and updated course handouts for the full four years.

Stefan initially attended the 2013 Postharvest Technology Short Course and was inspired by what he learned.  In October he enrolled in the Produce Professional Certificate program, and a month later attended the Produce Safety Workshop, one of the required components.  In March 2014 he attended the Fruit Ripening & Retail Handling Workshop, and even though at that point he had completed all the required campus-based courses, Stefan really wanted to attend the Postharvest Technology Short Course Field Tour.  So Stefan returned in June and participated in the week-long field tour.  He told me that visiting such a wide variety of postharvest operations really drove home the lessons he learned during the workshops. 

We congratulate Stefan on this achievement, and welcome him as the Postharvest Technology Center's first Certified Produce Professional #001!