Third-generation orchardist, David Mazzardis and his wife Leasa, supply blueberry seedlings and plants to most states in Australia, and many countries around the world, as well as operating their own blueberry orchard at Yanchep Springs. A passion for breeding high-quality fruit has earned them a reputation for bigger, sweeter, crispier and juicer blueberries, and a Guinness World Record for the heaviest blueberry, weighing in at a whopping 16.2g, is an achievement of immeasurable value.
Yanchep Springs is a part of the global blueberry business, OZBlu, with 26 farms across 11 countries. This connection to OZBlu affords David the opportunity to see how many packing facilities are run and operated. To this effect, the comment from David, that his GP Graders AirJet® Blueberry Grader does almost everything better than any of the other machines he’s seen, is testament to the exceptional design, engineering and technology applied by GP Grader in all their fruit grading solutions.
Grading nearly 100 different varieties of blueberries over the machine, David has been amazed by how versatile the machine has been without having to change programs each time. As a breeder of so many different varieties, this versatility alone is a game-changer, almost completely removing the need for a skilled technician to operate the machine. The role out of GP Grader's new, intuitive, easy-to-operate user interface has further reduced setup, training and operator necessity.
Even after over 50,000 punnets have been graded and filled, the machine has had to have minimal deep cleaning done. Playing a part in this hygienic operation is GP Grader's exclusive singulator design that ensures each berry is handled with the utmost care and gentleness, avoiding drops or impact.
There are a variety of reasons to implement automated systems into a business, but one of the most significant is labour cost reduction. With no manual sorters required anymore, and only 1 person on the final QC stage, the investment in the AirJet® Blueberry Grader is already proving worthwhile for David and Leasa.
Described as a ‘gem’ for their business', GP Graders are extremely proud to have provided such a productive solution for the OzBlu/Yanchep Springs blueberry farm and look forward to many years of mutually prosperous relationship.
For more information:Stuart Payne
GP Graders
Tel: +61 3 9585 9444
Email: info@gpgraders.com
www.gpgraders.com