The last few peach campaigns haven't been that great and the crisis cannot be overcome thanks to incidental factors such as the drop in production expected for 2018. Greefa, the Dutch manufacturer of fruit sorting and packaging solutions, also shares the same idea. Sales managers Heinz Pircher and Gregor Lochmann attended the Macfrut fair and reported how Italian companies are very interested in Greefa technologies, so much so that the country is one of the company's leading international markets.
According to Gregor Lochmann, in 2017, Italy tested Greefa technologies for the detection of internal defects in kiwis. "These solutions help increases the added value of products like in the case of golden kiwis, which have higher returns compared to green kiwis provided that they meet client expectations. Our technologies help sort fruit according to various parameters, even internal ones such as Brix level, dry matter content and tenderness of the flesh."
Things are more difficult for the stone fruit segment, as the sorting technologies used by processing facilities could be dated. "Peach sorting machines are obsolete. It's not enough to sort the fruit by weight, diameter and colour. Producers need to work on internal quality, as implementing new technologies on mass products with reduced margins is difficult. Italian growers should work together, as they would find it easier to purchase the latest solutions."
Greefa stand at Macfrut 2018
In Spain, there are systems that can sort 50 tons/hour of peaches and nectarines and only need 15 operators. This way, product quality is uniform and sales increase.
At Macfrut 2018, Greefa presents its SmartPackr2, a machine developed for the delicate and efficient packaging of fruit in cells.
Greefa has been operating in Italy for over 50 years and has recently opened a branch in Alto Adige.
Contacts:
Greefa Italia
Zona Industriale 1/11
39011 Lana BZ
Tel.: (+39) 0473 424181
Email: greefa.italia@greefa.com
Web: www.greefa.com