There is a growing demand for pepper washers due to an increasing aphid infestation among pepper growers. Last summer, the exemption of the Verimark product was positively received by growers. However, it has since become apparent that growers do not completely trust the product. The main reason for this is that it appears that controlling aphids is very difficult once they appear in the greenhouse. The uncertainty this brings has prompted many growers to invest in a sustainable solution that also works in the long term to ensure the quality of the product.
Edwin Sol of Berkvens Greenhouse Mobility said that in the past, tomato dryers were used to clean peppers, but this was a futile effort. Peppers need to be thoroughly washed while avoiding damage. Berkvens Greenhouse Mobility has decades of experience in producing washers for peppers. Currently, there is more demand for pepper washers to get the peppers in a condition that can be packaged and sold. Berkvens Greenhouse Mobility hopes to help pepper growers with a sustainable solution that protects the quality of the product.
A pepper washer consists of two sections: a spray/wash section and a drying section. The length of these sections is determined depending on the sorting machine or capacity. With special brushes and sponges, the peppers move through the machine tilting so that water, brushes, and air can touch the peppers everywhere, but especially carefully around the calyx. The washer is usually placed in line with the sorter but can also be used stand-alone. To use the pepper washer, only a clean water supply, a power point, and drainage are required.
Guido said, "We have had a pepper washer since the end of December. Last week, we put the product through the washer for the first time. A great moment to see it in action for the first time. We really purchased this washer as a kind of insurance for ourselves so that we can always deliver the quality we promise to our customers. The certainty of delivering to customers ultimately made us decide to invest in a pepper washer."
