Mushroom packaging has changed considerably in recent years. The iconic blue container made way for transparent, recyclable packaging. The plastic lid, too, is slowly disappearing; a top seal is increasingly replacing it.
The Limax Group, with branches in the Netherlands and Poland, grows and trades mushrooms and soft fruit. The company also manufactures mushroom substrate in Poland. It cultivates about 100,000 kg of white and chestnut mushrooms per week in the Netherlands and trades a significant volume of exotic mushrooms. For the supply of organic mushrooms, Limax has a joint venture, Biolines, with Nesco. The mushrooms find their way to international retail and food service, including Jumbo, Lidl, Picnic, Hanos, and Metro. The Scandinavian markets and Germany, in particular, are supplied from Poland.
The Proseal Traysealer GT1s in action at Limax
These days, Limax packages almost all its mushrooms using top seals. "Especially for the Dutch market," begins Albert Fleurkens, a quality manager at Limex. "We still pack trays with foil and a lid. German supermarkets, for example, still carry these. But that could change. We also increasingly top seal package soft fruit for that country's market." What are the biggest advantages? "The packages can be stacked, which is logistically beneficial. And it uses less plastic. Plus, it offers more printing possibilities, which makes for a nicer appearance," says Albert.
Confidence was decisive
This mushroom and soft fruit cultivation and trading company found not only a packaging machine supplier in Sismatec. This Dutch company is also a partner and advisor that has been part of Limax's ambitions and plans from the beginning. This collaboration is now about four years old.
"In 2017, we met with a retailer who wanted to use a new concept to improve shelf efficiency. That led to top sealing - it uses less plastic and has a better shelf layout. Then, in 2018, we were introduced to Sismatec's solution at Anuga." Sismatec specializes in fruit and vegetable packaging and supplies Proseal tray sealers. Proseal produces manual, semi-automatic, and automatic inline top seal machines that can seal up to 240 packs per minute. Proseal represents quality, speed, and reliability in the sealed packaging segment.
"It was quite nerve-wracking to invest in an entirely new packaging process. What if top sealing had no future? But, from the get-go, Sismatec was fully committed. They offered us a test period. Their confidence was ultimately decisive. We got a machine - the Proseal Traysealer GT1s - which we could use as a prototype to show our customer with zero financial risks. In late 2018, the first top-seal packs rolled off that line. Other retailers soon followed, and we're now at the point where almost everything is top sealed," explains Albert.
Was it straightforward? "Far from it. We had to modify the entire packaging process. We had to start using different trays. And the price was, undoubtedly, the biggest challenge. The final product could absolutely not be more expensive. In the end, we succeeded and can say we didn't spend all that money for nothing. Sismatec's good cooperation and service certainly helped. But we're not done yet. Developments continue, such as using even less plastic."
Limax mushrooms find their way to international retail and food service
Challenging market with opportunities
In the market, it is the high production prices that are proving particularly challenging. "It's been tough to achieve fair prices for years. A punnet of mushrooms does cost a little more in the supermarket, but cost prices have risen considerably more. Take energy costs - more and more growers are forced to quit. Still, we remain optimistic. The current food trends: healthy, sustainable eating, less meat, and so on: are in our favor. There are still plenty of opportunities," concludes Albert.
Albert Fleurkens
[email protected] 
Limax B.V.
Venrayseweg 126b
5961 AJ Horst
Tel. sales: +31 77 3 999 666
E-mail sales: [email protected]
www.limax.nl
Lindy Beverdam, marketing- en communicatie
Sismatec NL
Twentepoort Oost 8
7609 RG Almelo
+31 (0)546 874 113
+31 (0)6 48203150
[email protected]
www.sismatec.nl'
