In a first for the Netherlands, Duwel Fruit, based in Udenhout, invested in a strawberry stem removing, and cutting machine last year. After a year's trial run, Joost Duwel now wants to pick the fruits of their labour. "With various cutting methods we can deliver up to 2 500 kg of strawberries per day. These range from whole to half, and quarter strawberries, both with or without stems."
Joost is using the Italian strawberry stem removing machine, Mod. 'DF12', supplied in the Netherlands by Murre Techniek. It has a capacity of up to 230 strawberries per minute. All the parts of the machine that come into contact with the strawberries are food safe. The machine is made of stainless steel and is equipped with a conveyor belt. This conveyor belt has two rows of strawberry holders, which continually convey the strawberries to the processing stations.
"With manual labour, you are always dependent on how much effort they put in. The cutting has always been done by hand. At the end of the work day, you always had to contend with people becoming less productive and each one working differently from the other. We cut a huge amount of straw-berries during the season and want to save on manpower," says Joost when asked about why he acquired the machine. "Our main customers are bakeries and jam producers, who make jam from real fruit, and this machine is highly suited for them. They receive the strawberries in the exact way way they need them for use in baked goods, desserts and various other products.
Although he is happy with his investment, the machine is also giving him some headaches. "It is quite sensitive and it's not like you switch the machine on and you're done. You need firm strawberries and it is quite a challenge to buy fruits that are all the same size. But I certainly do not regret the purchase. You must, ultimately, expand as a business."
According to Joost, it is not necessary to wash the strawberries before they are cut. "Our strawberries are grown in hanging containers and are completely organic. This ensures maximum taste and texture. This also means you do not need to wash the strawberries. It is actually a shame to do so because the fruit absorbs the water and it loses some of its sweet taste.
"We get the strawberries from the auction and neighbouring growers, and we also import directly from Portugal. We supply cut strawberries to Dutch, Belgian and German customers. Farmers can also deliver their crops to us to be processed. In this way, they save time on cutting and we can deliver perfectly cut strawberries to their customers,' says Joost.
