The harvesting and processing of cherries from the Castelfranco Emilia area (Modena) has started at Agrintesa. The new Cherry Vision 3.0 system is used for electric sorting, plus the company has recently doubled the optical grading and sorting lines to process up to 8 tons/hour.
The 2021 campaign is looking good. Approximately 2,400 tons of produce are expected and will be processed using the lines manufactured by Unitec.
"Thanks to our specialized partners and the constant investments in product and process innovations, our cherries make us stand out on the market. We were one of the first companies in Italy to introduce Unitec optical graders and sorters in 2016: it was a brave choice at the time, but it immediately enabled us to improve the color and grade of our cherries and remove the fruit with defects," explains general director Cristian Moretti (in the photo).
"Unitec is very happy of the results obtained by Agrintesa over the years thanks to the technologies developed by us and manufactured for the cooperative. The satisfaction of our clients and their producers is our reward and it is what drives us towards innovation in order to develop solutions that valorize the high-quality of the produce," reports Raffaele Benedetti from Unitec (in the photo).
"The fruit sorted using Cherry Vision 3.0 will help retain final consumers and bring about benefits to the entire chain. We are always available to help Agrintesa with any future steps."
Agrintesa cherries will be commercialized by Alegra, a company located in Faenza (Ravenna) which is a point of reference for the main domestic big retail chains. "PGI cherries from Vignola and those cultivated by Romagna growers have recently become available on the market," explains Alegra sales manager Enrico Bucchi.
Enrico Bucchi
"The produce is crunchy and boasts a deep flavor in line with the high market expectations, also thanks to the considerable investments made by Agrintesa over the years. The company follows a strict management protocol not only in the fields, but also in the processing warehouses: each single cherry is pre-cooled with a hydrocooler that blocks the ripening process thus guaranteeing a long shelf-life without affecting quality, texture and flavor."
"Despite the frost, volumes are higher than last year and we are certain the technological investments made will help us reach our main objectives, i.e. guaranteeing good results to our partners and being a point of reference on the domestic cherry market," concludes Moretti.
For further information:
Agrintesa 
Via G. Galilei, 15
Faenza (RA)
+39 0546 619111
direzione@agrintesa.com
www.agrintesa.com