Better price and shelf life through hydro cooling
Cherries before hydro-cooling.
Impulse purchase
Both cherry consumption and the fruits themselves are affected by the weather. "Cherries are, broadly speaking, an impulse purchase. With warm weather you sell more cherries, but the heat also has an impact on shelf life. With hydro-cooling, we have an ace up our sleeve."
Cherries after hydro-cooling.
The chiller can cool six tons of cherries per hour. In the machine, the cherries literally take a cold shower. "The hydro cooler uses a special system so that the cherries are not bruised by the water," explains Jos. "Subsequently, the cherries enter a cold room with ultrasonic humidification devices. We sort them later in the day."
Better prices and broader application possibilities
The investment in hydro-cooling was particularly attractive, as the cherries that were hydro-cooled generally brought in 50 cents more than the cherries of the same quality and size, which were not cooled in this way. Moreover, due to the improved shelf life, foreign markets are suddenly within reach.
The flip side of the coin is that the cherry season is relatively short: six to eight weeks. In order to prevent the machine from being pretty much useless the rest of the year, BelOrta searches for broader application possibilities. "We have performed tests with asparagus, which went well so far. We now look at the impact of hydro-cooling on the asparagus and the implications for shelf life. I think this may very well be an important addition to the next asparagus season."
More information:
BelOrta - Borgloon
Jos Craemers
Kernielerweg 59
3840 Borgloon
T: +32 12 67 01 00
E: [email protected]
W: www.belorta.be
