As a result of the growing volume of blueberries and the rising demand for locally packed berries in various formats, Carsol Europe has expanded its capacity with a new optical berry sorting machine. This week, the first pallets have been packed on the new line of a logistics service provider in Maasdijk. Elifab is the supplier of this machine, which is the first of its kind in the Netherlands. Technology is moving forward and this machine has the greatest accuracy when it comes to sorting berries, and it is very user-friendly. The fillers are supplied by BBC Technologies. This machine feeds two output lines with top sealing capabilities. The top seal machines are delivered by Het Packhuys.
CarSol has its own blueberry crops almost all year round thanks to its plantations in Peru, Chile and Portugal. With this machine, the European sales office will be able to meet the rising demand for locally-packed berries. "Europe as a market is very important for our parent company. The office in the Netherlands grants direct access to the European retail sector. Our customers work directly with the source while, at the same time, retaining the flexibility that many retailers need locally. Our customers can easily change the content per package, place orders on a daily basis and receive fruit that has been sorted with our optical sorting machine never earlier than 24 hours before loading."
First Chilean berries arriving at the start of week 51
In the meantime, the Chilean berry harvest has commenced and the first profits are expected to come in during week 51, specifically for the Duke variety which is yielding good volumes that can fulfill some nice programs during the week of Christmas. The first organic berries are arriving in week 1. According to the European sales office, the prospects for the quality are good; however, the situation in Chile has been restless, with several riots in recent months to protest against the government's policies, particularly in Santiago. The situation is also uneasy in other places in the country. Strikes are underway in the ports and growers and exporters are concerned about the possibility of this occurring more frequently during the season.
