Pioneer Potatoes, a sixth-generation family farm in Washington's Skagit Valley, has introduced an Elisam optical grader powered by Ellips AI technology to streamline its potato grading operations.
The farm, known for producing premium A-size potatoes for supermarkets and restaurants, had relied on manual grading for years. However, ongoing labour shortages, rising costs, and inconsistent grading quality made manual sorting increasingly difficult. Competing with larger, automated growers became a growing challenge.
According to the company, the adoption of the optical grader has resulted in major labour savings, improved grading consistency, and enhanced operational control.
Before implementing the new system, Pioneer Potatoes faced multiple challenges, including difficulties finding and retaining workers, higher labour costs, and inconsistent quality from manual grading. Manual sorters struggled to detect complex defects over long shifts, and potatoes were sometimes misclassified into lower-value grades, reducing overall crop value. Manual processes also made it difficult to quickly adjust grading standards to changing market demands.
Following the installation of the AI-powered grader, the company reports a 50% reduction in labour requirements, improved product quality through more accurate defect detection, and consistent grading performance. The system also enables precise classification across all quality grades, optimising crop value and reducing waste.
The Ellips–Elisam AI potato grader was demonstrated at Fruit Attraction in Madrid and at the Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, California. The technology is already in use by growers and packers such as Folson Farm, Hughes Farms, Wallace Farms, Pioneer Potatoes, Maple Wood Farm, OC Schulz and Sons, Agroteam, Stular, Dutkiewicz, Phoenix Farms, Wild, Wilhelm Weyers, and Zerella Fresh.
In a short video presentation, Wylie Thulen of Pioneer Potatoes shares insights into the transition and the impact of adopting AI-based grading technology.
Source: PotatoPro
