VIP, the association of fruit and vegetable producers in Vinschgau, is further expanding its role in the European organic apple market. A key component of this is the organic packing facility of the JUVAL cooperative, one of the most modern facilities in the sector. The infrastructure, which is exclusively geared towards organic products, guarantees consistently high premium quality, year-round availability, and a particularly high response rate to individual customer inquiries.
Storage, sorting, and packaging technologies enable VIP to offer apples of outstanding quality throughout the year. The goods are stored in the JUVAL cooperative's high-bay warehouse under controlled atmosphere conditions, ensuring an uninterrupted cold chain from goods receipt to dispatch. The fully digitized warehouse system plays a central role, following the FIFO (first in, first out) principle and monitoring stocks, quality, and goods rotation in real time. This approach ensures planning and product security and significantly improves energy efficiency compared to conventional warehouse concepts.
© VIP
"Our leadership in the technological sector enables us to deliver organic apples of outstanding quality all year round," explains Gerhard Eberhöfer, Bio Product Manager at VIP. "Strictly controlled processes, consistent delivery capability, and operational reliability strengthen VIP's position as one of Europe's leading suppliers of organic apples every day."
Quality, speed, and complete traceability
In addition to storage, JUVAL has a sorting capacity of 60 large crates weighing 300 kilograms per hour and twelve modern packaging lines with a capacity of up to 175 tons per day. The combination of high processing capacity, immediate access to stored goods, and complete digitization of processes enables VIP to respond flexibly to individual customer requirements and to process even large orders in a short time. "JUVAL is unique in this form. Automated processes, the highly efficient high-bay warehouse, and our packaging lines guarantee the highest quality, speed, and complete traceability," comments Stephan Gorfer (pictured above), operations manager of the JUVAL cooperative.
The modern technology at the site not only creates efficiency but also additional transparency. It forms the basis for the BioGraphy project, which enables complete traceability of the product back to the individual farmer. Thanks to automated data collection throughout all process phases, customers can scan the QR code on the packaging to find out which producer the apples come from and learn about their stories. An online platform provides information about the origin and the producers behind the product. Each individual organic producer from the Vinschgau Valley is presented with a personal portrait, their farms, the varieties they grow, and authentic pictures from their everyday work.
European market leader in the organic apple sector
Another key element is sustainability. The photovoltaic system installed on the roofs of the cooperative covers up to 65% of the site's energy requirements, thereby reducing its environmental impact and dependence on external energy sources. With state-of-the-art technology and renewable energies, VIP sets the standard for European organic apple production. Thanks to the combination of modern technologies, continuous innovation, and guaranteed reliability, VIP is consolidating its role as the European market leader in the organic apple sector and offers the market a safe, transparent, and consistently high-quality product all year round.
Visit the company at BioFach: 7-361
For more information:
www.vip.coop
