Broccoli packing processing app for inventory control, sales, traceability: reduced broccoli waste, better broccoli packing processes...

Broccoli packing processing app for inventory control, sales, traceability: reduced broccoli waste, better broccoli packing processes...

Brochures: 

[Broccoli packing app] 

[Flower packing] 

[Food manufacturing]  

[Meat packing]  

[Farm management]  

[Fresh produce RFID]

99% less fresh produce packing waste

Accurate fresh produce & food inventory management reduces fresh produce waste through better FIFO stock rotation, stock-takes, and inventory alerts. RFID pallet control (optional) for precision inventory tracking. 

Save time packing fruit & vegetables

Increase the efficiency of fresh produce inventory using options like scanning incoming bar-codes to reduce data entry & errors, integrate with scales for automatic weighing, ore RFID for automatic fresh produce inventory tracking.

Better fresh produce quality control

Guarantee quality fresh produce packing with flexible fresh produce inspection  testing systems from your cell or tablet. Customer feedback management, supplier quality control and more...

Reduce fresh produce packing errors

Project required inventory (and potential shortages to ensure correct fresh produce raw materials), schedule orders to be packed in batches, automatic alerts to production line managers for waste and batch analysis.

100% accurate fresh produce order shipping

Shipping teams are guided through the dispatch process.  Pick orders using a cell / tablet, PC, (optional bar-code scanning), automatic picking, auto email or print bill of lading, invoice, send automatic shipping notifications for customers, transport, and sales teams.

Reduce fresh produce packing administration costs by 40%

Automatic generation of fresh produce labels, pallet labels, bill of lading, invoice, picking documents, export documents, and more; reduces administrative burden.

Easy audit & mock recall systems reduces compliance costs.

Faster fresh produce inventory storage  inventory

Accurate fresh produce & food inventory management delivers reduced waste and increased employee productivity. Manage FIFO, improve stock-take accuracy, scan harvester data, and keep a watchful eye on your inventory... Easy stock-take identifies shrinkage and helps reduce waste from ageing. 

100% accurate fresh produce traceability

Maintain strict fresh produce traceability and high food safety standards always. Perform recalls based on lot/batch, pack date, invoice #, inventory #, pallet #, delivery date, purchase order #, or perform a recall on your own user defined data. Perform instant recalls both up and down the supply chain. Makes audits easy and instant. COVID-19 food safety & auditing available. 

Reduce fresh produce waste by 99%

Inventory control ensures there is no 'shrinkage', food inventory is FIFO managed, and expiring inventory always monitored.

Increase customer satisfaction

From increase fresh produce quality control systems, to online portal for customer orders, shopping carts, and quality feedback.

Better fresh produce quality now

Quality control and food safety has never been easier with built in industry standard quality tests, food safety checklists; or ask your consultant to  configure inspections to match your requirements.

100% accurate orders!

Guarantee only the correct inventory is shipped for each order, on time, every time.

No more rejections from deliveries to customers because a pallet has some incorrect inventory on it.

Broccoli packing processing app for inventory control, sales, traceability: reduced broccoli waste, better broccoli packing processes...

Farmsoft fresh produce packing app is for fruit & vegetable packer, processor, import/export.  Full fresh produce traceability, auditing, inventory control, and fresh produce business management app.

Quality inspection for fresh produce

Consistent and accurate quality inspection ensures higher customer satisfaction and adherence to industry, de-facto, and in-house quality control standards. Track supplier quality performance, customer feedback & complaints, create QC tests for any part of the fresh produce & food manufacturing process (incoming goods, raw materials, finished goods, expiry test, export/shipping tests), daily factory hygiene, machinery calibration, employee checklists... 

Fresh produce logistics

Manage orders, pack to order, picking and auto picking, dispatch & shipping process. Generate invoices, bill of lading, pick slips, export documentation and other sales documents... Dispatch teams are guided through the dispatch process ensuring every order is filled perfectly, and on time. Paperwork such as BOL, freight documents, export documents are automatically generated based on the customer and destination to guarantee no rejected shipments or issues at borders.

Fresh produce labels

Generate fresh produce SSCC pallet labels, GS1 case & PTI labels, bin labels, batch labels, traded unit labels, harvest labels and more. Use the built in industry standard labels for Walmart, Woolworths, Aldi, Tesco, Loblaws etc - or design your own with the built in label & report designer. Our team can design all of your fresh produce documents (including export documentation) to ensure farmsoft matches your requirements perfectly.

Fresh produce packing control

Sales, Quality, Profit, Dispatch, Pack, Farm...... Dashboards for sales teams provide instant impressions of customer orders and current inventory levels. The dispatch dashboard helps plan shipments, order of loading, and transport companies & drivers... The Profit analysis dashboard shows margins per unit and most profitable customers. Use our API to access your data however you like.

Fresh produce batch packing

Project required raw materials needed to pack/manufacture orders, potential shortages, schedule multiple orders to be packed in batches on selected production lines with a few clicks, automatically send new job alerts to managers, schedule additional harvests, analyze outstanding orders. Manage entire packing and manufacturing process with ease.

Fresh produce alerts monitoring

Automatic alerts for shipments can be sent to customers, transport providers, or even team members. Every time a batch is finished processing, receive an alert with the pack-out breakdown and percentages of grades & quality and waste. Alerts can include simple shipment notifications, or even invoices and original order details. Other alerts include order changes/modifications, yield reports, new order alerts, and low inventory alerts... 

Farm app option

Implement the farmsoft Farm Management suite to provide a comprehensive integrated business management solution from seed to plate. Includes automatic task management, best practices, budgeting, farm inventory, PHI enforcement, audits, residue reporting, USDA reporting, dashboards, farm profitability,  unlimited farms & companies, traceability, recalls and more... 

Fresh produce supplier quality control

Suppliers must know that your business measures & tracks their fresh produce quality at all times. Any trends that effect the quality of fresh produce can be quickly detected, automatically traced back to the fresh produce supplier (especially if a result of a customer complaint / feedback), management and purchasing teams are automatically alerted when a supplier quality issue occurs. Quantify and analyze your suppliers performance using the Supplier Quality Dashboard. 

Fresh produce finance apps

Share fresh produce finance data by direct integration with Xero finance app, or export AP & AR to Quickbooks, MYOB, SAGE, Multiview, Saasant, from the interface, or use our API to integrate with any finance or other app through inhouse or outsource, or request our team perform a custom integration for your fresh produce company. This is an optional module, please ask your consultant for additional details and discuss your specific requirements, additional costs apply for integration with new apps.

Fresh produce RFID

Automatic tracking of each pallet’s exact location. Makes loading orders accurate and easy, stops errors during shipping. Very low costs to setup your hardware using farmsoft’s innovative RFID for fresh produce solution. Pallets put onto truck are auto added to order, and checked for accuracy. Pick up a pallet and its RFID instantly selected. Add pallet/bin to production line and its auto added to batch for traceability.

Fresh produce API

Integrate with virtually any other app or software solution, or hardware using the farmsoft API. It's open! Anyone can use it. Your in house I.T. team, or any external I.T. vendor you want to help you with integration. Add your own reports, extract special data, or even create new interfaces between farmsoft and any app such as accounting, payroll, B2B, B2C. Other integration in farmsoft includes the ability to integrate with selected weigh scales to capture fresh produce net delivery weights.

Fresh produce bloch-chain

Increase customer confidence and prove the credentials of your traceability integrity and transparency with block-chain ledger technology.   We use the chain-trace.com blockchain solution. (Optional module not included with standard Packing / Food Manufacturing ERP solution - please discuss your requirements with your fresh produce farmsoft consultant).

Improve fresh produce production planning

Efficient management customer orders, and the ability to analyze orders gives you new production planning tolls in farmsoft. Ensure each order is filled to exact specifications, on time, every time. Increase customer satisfaction and retention, and reduce stress in the packhouse with confident production planning using work orders/batch orders, sales contracts, sales orders, and sales order items. Are you manufactruing or processing chili products? Try farmsoft for chili processing. 

Accurate fresh produce traceability

Quality officers are guided through the quality control process, presented with images and instructions for each test, ensuring they know what to look for at all times, corrective actions are presented if a quality issue is detected. This makes training new fresh produce quality control officers fast, and ensures consistency in the quality control management processes for incoming fresh produce, post pack/post processing, storage, and dispatch. 

Efficient use of fresh produce cold stores

Maximize your cold store use and rotation of stock using farmsoft's pallet maps, and precision traceability tracking with expiring inventory reminders.

Cold store management software for fruit importers, exporters, packers, cross docking, and short and long term fruit storage.

Map cool rooms in 3D including row, column, and optionally level for stacked pallets.

Broccoli packing processing app for inventory control, sales, traceability: reduced broccoli waste, better broccoli packing processes...

The farmsoft inventory control app provides business wide quality management inspection systems for fresh produce, food manufacturing, seed processing, meat packing & processing, and flower packing.

Tesco food safety compliance food packers
Tesco food safety compliance for food manufacturers, packers, import, export, wholesale.  Tesco customers expect us to only sell products made to the highest quality and that are responsibly sourced. They trust us to ensure that all our products are safe and comply with all the applicable laws and regulations.

Within Tesco we have a number of highly skilled teams and colleagues across the globe that are dedicated to ensuring our customer expectations are not only met but exceeded. They manage the quality of products from the original product concept right through to our stores and customers.
Although this page is based on our UK business, a similar approach is taken across our international markets whilst ensuring all legal and cultural differences are acknowledged and catered for.  Through understanding customers and their needs, product and market trends our expert team of developers work hard to bring great quality, innovative and value for money products to the market; our dedicated team of food researchers and chefs constantly review food trends and bring new food ideas to life to meet those customer needs.
Fresh Produce Bar Code Scanning

Fresh produce bar code scanning in agriculture easily delivers improved traceability in the fruit boxing and fresh produce packing space.  The FarmSoft team has add new features to the FarmSoft packhouse mobile (smart phone, iphone, tablets, and PDA’s) interfaces and new interfaces for in line bar-code scanning to allow rapid recording of packed fruit and vegetable via bar-code systems. Implement FarmSoft to make your fresh produce fruit packing easier and more efficient. FarmSoft delivers bar code scanning for packing sheds, packhouses, and fruit packers, exporters, importers and wholesalers.

FarmSoft fresh produce bar code scanning allows users to choose from a mobile interface that allows smartphones and PDA devices to scan boxed and packed fresh produce to record pallet contents. Fresh produce inventory and stock management with bar code systems ensures traceability and accuracy. FarmSoft’s bar code software for pack sheds makes fresh produce inventory control easy.

Bar-code traceability

FarmSoft bar code traceability is rapid to implement, and easy to maintain. Implementing FarmSoft bar code traceability for fresh produce processing delivers increased accuracy of traceability, easy inventory management, and can result in reduced fresh produce waste.
FarmSoft bar code traceability provides multiple fruit labeling solutions which can be tailored to meet client inventory handling requirements.
Bar code traceability
FarmSoft bar code traceability provides a comprehensive fruit traceability system for packhouses, pack sheds, and fruit and vegetable processors. FarmSoft bar code traceability makes fresh produce inventory handling easy! Contact FarmSoft today to receive these benefits.
Case level traceability

Case level traceability brings fresh produce processors, packers, and marketers easy and rapid traceability. Implement FarmSoft in no time at all, and start reducing processing waste!  Easy to deploy, farmsoft case level traceability is the best friend of any company looking to improve traceability in their food / fresh produce processing enterprise. Farmsoft delivers tangible improvements in food safety compliance and standards maintenance. Implementing farmsoft case level traceability for fresh produce processing delivers increased accuracy of traceability, easy inventory management, and can result in reduced fresh produce waste.


Farm to fork traceability for reliable food safety and best handling practices for fresh produce – while reducing waste and increasing efficiency!  FarmSoft’s farm to fork traceability solution delivers bullet proof fresh produce traceability management in every way. FarmSoft’s farm to fork traceability solution channels staff through the correct farming and fresh produce handling processes ensuring maximum food safety and traceability is being maintained at all times.

Combine both FarmSoft Farm Software AND FarmSoft Fruit Packing Software to create a complete farm to fork traceability solution.
In addition to the traceability features of FarmSoft, the system also provides a comprehensive fresh produce business management suite that takes care of every section of your business including: quality control, invoice, dispatch, sales, contracts, staff labor, packing labor, packhouse reporting and more.


Fresh Produce Traceability India – FarmSoft’s fresh produce management software brings new levels of traceability and efficiency to Indian farming and fresh produce packing, processing, and exporting.  FarmSoft guides users through the fresh produce handling procedures to ensure the safest, highest quality fruit and vegetables with minimum waste. From quality control, waste analysis, to fresh produce labeling – FarmSoft delivers for professional fruit and vegetable processors and packers. Download FarmSoft’s Fresh Produce Traceability India specifications here.

FarmSoft India
Professionally manage and monitor all post harvest processes including quality control, storage, inventory, sorting, grading, washing, packing, sales, invoice, and dispatch.
Traceability requirements matrix fresh produce

Traceability requirements matrix fresh produce packing, processing, value adding.   Traceability requirements matrix fresh produce
Traceability requirements matrix in fresh produce

EASY TRACEABILITY
Makes fresh inventory food safety compliance & audits easy.
Traceability requirements matrix fresh produce
Traceability requirements matrix fresh produce.
Blockchain for fresh produce traceability

Visit our official fresh produce blockchain site for the latest fresh produce blockchain information.
Ask your farmsoft consultant if your chosen block-chain protocol or format is supported.
Blockchain – Essential for Fresh Produce Traceability
 
The Produce Traceability Initiative, was designed to help the Produce Industry maximize the effectiveness of current traceback procedures, while developing a standardized industry approach to enhance the speed and efficiency.
Food Traceability Software

FarmSoft food traceability software delivers bulletproof food safety and reduces business risk.  The FarmSoft is built on a solid platform of food traceability and safety standards. FarmSoft guides users through the food processing and manufacturing phases. The FarmSoft food traceability software suite specializes in processing and manufacturing involving fresh produce, fruit, and vegetables. Dried, cured, juiced, pulped, or even made into value added jelly and jams. Click here to download food traceability software specifications.

Fresh Produce Traceability Bar-code

Fresh Produce Traceability Bar-codes for fruit & vegetable packers, processors, and food manufacturers.  Fresh Produce Traceability is much more than applying a label to the packed fruit or vegetable. FarmSoft delivers strict fresh produce traceability guidelines for supply chain end to end food safety & transparency.

Ensuring that the traceability chain has no gaps in it is important to reduce the risk exposure of your business. If there is a breach in the traceability chain, then the whole traceability enforcement system has failed and becomes a pointless expense. FarmSoft ensures 100% accuracy of traceability throughout the entire life-cycle of fresh produce, from pre-planting, to post sales traceability guideline adherence. FarmSoft ensures your business is not unnecessarily exposed, while minimizing compliance costs. 

GS1 Traceability for fresh produce


FarmSoft GS1 traceability system does much more than just print labels! Manage your inventory, maintain traceability, pack, process, and store fresh produce. Perform sales and dispatch and invoicing. Reduce fresh produce waste.  FarmSoft GS1 traceability system does much more than just print labels! Manage your inventory, maintain traceability, pack, process, and store fresh produce. Perform sales and dispatch and invoicing. Reduce fresh produce waste.
farmsoft makes fresh produce GS1 traceability easy!
SAVE TIME
LESS WASTE
BETTER FRUIT
NO ERRORS
ACCURATE SHIPPING
REDUCE COST
Increase the efficiency of fresh produce deliveries using options like scanning incoming bar-codes to reduce data entry, save time, and reduce errors. Scan incoming fresh produce deliveries or use "one touch" rapid inventory creation screens to increase accuracy & reduce data entry time.


FarmSoft track and trace provides end to end supply chain transparency for fresh produce traceability. Implement FarmSoft to guarantee the highest level of traceability both up and down the supply chain!  FarmSoft track and trace is a comprehensive fresh produce business management solution that caters for all operational processes from quality control, inventory, sales, dispatch, and orders. FarmSoft even provides food manufacturing, good manufacturing management, and value adding features. FarmSoft track and trace software provides many innovative features to bring easily maintained benefits to the fresh produce processor, packer, and marketer.

Using the FarmSoft traceability code, customers, and end consumers can track and trace fresh produce simply by scanning a QR code with their smartphone. The track and trace system will then present the customer/end consumer with the traceability or marketing information as chosen by the packer. This helps to improve customer confidence and provides supply chain transparency to promote the concept of food safety.
Produce Traceability Initiative PTI

Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), HACCP, GlobalGAP, CanGAP, EuroGAP, BRC, Bio-Terrorism, ISO and more…Simple PTI solution - software for fruit and vegetable processing

MINIMIZE WASTE
Farmsoft delivers opportunities to reduce waste during the packing, processing, storage, and distribution phases. By enforcing best practices, FIFO (when practical), inventory expiry monitoring, and easy stock takes - your company has every opportunity to minimize waste and maximize profit. From bar code managed inventory, inventory labeling, to 3D pallet storage, farmsoft delivers on reduced waste.
TRACEABILITY MADE EASY
Perform recalls in seconds, with the full confidence of accuracy and reliability. Minimize risk by ensuring accurate traceability is automatically captured. Pass audits with ease & reduce compliance costs using farmsofts traceability guidelines. Trace fresh produce up and down the supply chain, over multiple traceability hops. Instantly produce spray records, residue analysis, soil analysis, and any other farm traceability records if you use our farm solution.

Inventory traceability software for reduced post harvest waste

Inventory traceability software
The purpose of the Fruit & Vegetables implementation guidance is to provide best practice guidelines for industry-wide adoption for New Item Listing and update of existing assortment. This guide provides support to companies seeking to electronically exchange fruit & vegetable product information in accordance with GS1 Standards. The guidance applies to the full range of fruit & vegetable trade items. The guide outlines which attributes should be used for fruit & vegetable items and recommends best practices for the use of these standards to exchange static fruit & vegetable data between suppliers and retailers. Today, different platforms as well as different means to item identification exist when it comes to data sharing. Traceability case study for Paramount Citrus, Traceability case study for Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms, SunFed visibility of produce throughout supply chain with case and item level traceability. JemD Farms, greenhouse grower with GS1 Standards and the Produce Traceability Initiative.
The use of GS1 Standards, specifically for Identification, Master Data Alignment, Traceability, Track and Trace, Barcode labels and EDI transactions, provides a common platform to help supply.
Simple traceability solution

Simple traceability solution - software for fruit and vegetable packing
Processors and packers involved in the fresh produce industry deal with a lot of compliance and traceability issues. If the worst happens and a product recall needs to be effected immediately, they have to be able to trace where the raw ingredients of fruit and vegetables came from, what was done to them, when and where the finished products have gone.
Fresh produce processors and packers manufacturers are subject to quality audits and they can often practice recalls and food safety incidents. From a business perspective, these activities often can be expensive and cumbersome to comply with, without the use of a simple traceability solution that is integrated into the businesses fresh produce handling processes and guidelines.
As a supplier to the food manufacturing or fresh produce processing or handling and retail industry, quality control and traceability are key for any manufacturer. Farmsoft delivers solutions in Australia, USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Africa, and Asian regions. Use farmsoft to become compliant and increased efficiency.

Less waste, more traceability

Less waste, more traceability: Full featured software for fresh produce processing, packing, sales, export/import & distribution.  MINIMIZE FRESH PRODUCE WASTE

For handlers of perishable goods, reduce waste during packing, processing, cold store, order picking and dispatch phases. Enforce GMP and best practices, FIFO (when practical), inventory expiry monitoring, and easy stock takes to help minimize waste and maximise profit. Receive detailed alerts when waste is encountered through quality issues, or possible human error.
Learn more about farmsoft post harvest solutions
Manage your fruit & vegetable packing / processing operation with a simple traceability solution, or implement a comprehensive enterprise management solution. Easily comply with standards for Walmart, Tesco, Woolworths, Aldi, Loblaw, Coles, USDA, FSMA, GFSI, AANZFTA, PTI, HACCP - for full inventory traceability using PC/Mac or traceability app.
LESS WASTE.
MORE TRACEABILITY!

Fresh produce export documentation

Farmsoft makes fresh produce export documentation easy with new features that generate international standard fresh produce export documentation for fresh produce producers, processors, and packers.   Rapidly generate fresh produce export documentation on demand!

Farmsoft makes fresh produce export documentation easy with new features that generate international standard fresh produce export documentation for fresh produce producers, processors, and packers. The modern packing and processing facility is busy environment. Dealing with the excess of export regulations and paperwork requirements can often be a headache. Farmsoft guides users through the documentation process, reducing administration costs, and increasing productivity.
Contact a farmsoft consultant today to discuss your fresh produce export documentation options today.
Farmsoft takes the effort out of preparing fresh produce export documentation for fruit, vegetable, coffee, hop, and grain producers by generating commonly used export documentation.  

Reduce fresh produce waste, Orders - Quality - Production - Sales & shipping - Recalls & audits - Dashboards, analysis, business intelligence.   Reduce fresh produce waste, make production and shipments 100% accurate

Strict inventory management ensures FIFO and no orphaned fresh produce inventory, no loss of inventory due handling processes.
Production management ensures every order is filled accurately, dispatch is planned in advance, and correct shipments dispatched on time, every time.
Sales dashboards help marketing and sales teams plan orders, schedule production, and identify any fresh produce that needs to be sold before it becomes waste.
A choice of interfaces to suit every environment gives your team a simple fresh produce business management tool.
Manage fresh produce inventory stored at an unlimited number of sites / packhouses, and unlimited warehouses
Manage and monitor the storage and status (ie: in processes such as sorting, grading, cooling, ripening etc) of all fresh produce inventory, regardless of its state.

Broccoli packing processing app for inventory control, sales, traceability: reduced broccoli waste, better broccoli packing processes...

Broccoli packing & processing, inventory QC traceability by farmsoft reduces waste and increases productivity in broccoli packing businesses.
Farmsoft delivers reduced waste in the broccoli packing traceability & quality control, processing, storage, distribution phases. By enforcing best practices, FIFO, inventory expiry monitoring, and easy stock takes to minimize waste and maximize packing profit. Use bar-code managed inventory, labeling, 3D pallet storage, to help reduce waste.
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability

BROCCOLI PACKING
Conduct recalls in seconds, with full confidence of accuracy and reliability. Minimize risk by ensuring accurate traceability is automatically captured. Pass audits with ease & reduce compliance costs using farmsoft's traceability guidelines. Trace fresh produce up and down the supply chain, over multiple traceability hops. Instantly produce farm records and any other farm traceability records if you optionally use our farm solution.

REDUCE ADMINISTRATION COSTS FOR BROCCOLI PACKING
Minimize your administration costs with automatic paperwork generation. Ensure accuracy of paperwork by having necessary documentation (invoice formats, export documents, transport documents etc) automatically generated based on the needs of the specific customer - ensuring timely and accurate documentation. No more rejected orders because of bad documentation accompanying a shipment. Food traceability software made easy!

CONSISTENT QUALITY CONTROL FOR BROCCOLI PACKING
Guarantee consistent, accurate, and efficient quality control is performed at any part of the fresh produce handling life-cycle; including during delivery, pre processing, post processing, and dispatch. Create quality control tests based on each customers requirements, and even create a daily factory hygiene test, employee performance tests and more. Accurate quality control helps to improve customer confidence and quality perception. Easily follow fresh produce quality control & fresh produce inventory guidelines.

BETTER PRODUCTION PLANNING & DISPATCH FOR BROCCOLI PACKING
Monitor orders, assign orders to specific pack-houses (you can have unlimited processing sites in farmsoft), and allow micro monitoring of each production lines output requirements using dashboards. The dashboards ensure the correct products are produced at the correct time to fill orders. Dispatch teams are given details on their mobile device (or PC/Mac) and scan pallets onto orders. Administration teams can see orders are picked and ready for dispatch, and are presented with the correct documents for printing. All of these features result in improved accuracy of both production and dispatch processes.

OPTIONAL FARM SOFTWARE INTEGRATION FOR FARM TO PLATE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
Optionally use farmsoft Farm Management software with our Post Harvest solution. Using both solutions provides an end to end solution from field to plate. Farm Management by farmsoft delivers full farm record keeping, farm inventory, cost monitoring, budgeting, best practice enforcement, and adherence to international farming standards. Use Farm Management by farmsoft to manage your own farms, or even hundreds of external farms that supply your fresh produce company.

‍Broccoli processing line
Basic or complete, fully integrated for freshly cut, packaged, ready-to-use broccoli. Different optional and fully customised levels of automation depending on preference and requirements. Advice and turnkey delivery.



Benefits
Single supplier
Full line incorporating all processes
We include reception, preparation and washing and even packaging
Personalised advice from experts
Mechanical, electrical and electronic design, and programming
Turnkey project
Inquire

Description
Complete line for processing broccoli, including raw material reception; feeding; automatic floretting machines; inspection conveyors; machinery for washing, draining, spin drying, sorting by size, and packaging (in collaboration with EFS Packaging www.efs-packaging.com, Spanish industry leader).

Backed by our ample experience in broccoli processing, we design the machinery according to your needs with production levels starting at 1,000 kg/ hour. We listen to your processing needs, offer advice and assist you in your choice of the best equipment for your specific requirements. We design and manufacture the machinery, install and start up the machinery and offer post-sales service.

We do not limit ourselves to offering a specific product, we propose and execute the global solution to your problem, improving the efficiency of your production process.

Line fully integrated into your facility, adapted to your production needs and available space.

"We’ve been working with Ait for five years, in which time they have continuously shown their expertise and leadership in the post-harvest processing of vegetables."





Broccoli packing & processing, food service business management software for improved food safety & reduced waste. Broccoli packing & processing, inventory QC traceability by farmsoft reduces waste and increases productivity in broccoli packing businesses.


"Every year, we pack around 25 million kilos of broccoli and cauliflower"
This year, the Murcia-based firm Agrícola Santa Eulalia is turning 25. The company was founded by brothers Francisco and Juan Mula, whose ancestors had been active in Spanish cultivation for many years, and the next generation (three sons and a daughter) has already joined the company. The brothers have gained recognition with their own brand: Mr. Broko.

 Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability


"Our main export markets are the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Canada. 95% of our volume is exported, mainly to retail customers. Also, we started exporting to the Middle East 12 years ago. Back then, we were pioneers in this, but now this market has become more competitive," says sales manager Pedro Garcia.

Agrícola Santa Eulalia has also been supplying Spanish retailers for years with Spanish cauliflower and broccoli. The company has an area of 1,500 hectares devoted to broccoli, cauliflower and other brassicas cultivation. Grapes and early nectarines are also part of the product range. "This year, we have also handled a lot of white cabbage, and we sell a lot of broccoli 'on ice' in order to guarantee its freshness when shipped to far-off destinations," said Pedro.

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
 Machine Harvest Broccoli
New broccoli plant suitable for the industrial processing of heads and florets
This present invention deals with a new type of broccoli plant suitable for the industrial manufacture of broccoli heads and florets. This invention relates to broccoli plants producing a head that is flat, comprises multiple individualized florets and protrudes above the leaves making it easy to harvest by machine, allowing the use of heads and florets for the manufacture of processed broccoli and/or packaged food products.

Broccoli is a member of the Brassica family like cauliflower and cabbage, its botanic name being Brassica oleraceae L. var.italica. Broccoli is native of the Mediterranean region and particularly grown in Italy for centuries. Indeed, it was considered as favorite vegetable by the Romans, who initially ate a purple sprouting broccoli that turned green when cooked.

Broccoli has since been developed by selection and crossing to obtain varieties such as Calabrese (originating from the area of Calabria) or other broccoli varieties which have more and more improved qualities.

Broccoli is mostly marketed and consumed fresh; the part of the plant that is eaten is actually an undeveloped flower head hereinafter named head comprising many tiny buds crowded onto it.

Heads are harvested at maturity when they are an adequate size and have florets with a uniform green color.

Due to the architecture of the plant, broccoli harvesting is done manually when the head has reached maturity. The main stem is cut and the head thus obtained is cooled and marketed as fresh product. This manual harvesting is expensive in terms of labor cost and may represent up to 60% of the total labor costs for producing broccoli.

The use of mechanical harvesting solutions have been attempted but, because of the importance of leaf content and the deep burying of the head within those leaves, the jamming of the cutting equipment is an issue in the development of any mechanical equipment for harvesting broccoli.

Broccoli is mainly marketed fresh, as fresh heads. There is however a trend for individualized florets packed in bags in order to address a need for convenience and to provide the consumer with ready to eat or ready to cook vegetables. This kind of packed fresh broccoli florets allows the consumer to cook broccoli conveniently without the need to clean broccoli heads, to cut florets one after the other and eventually to dispose of non-edible broccoli parts. However, the cost of the processing of broccoli heads for producing individualized florets after harvesting is a serious issue.

Broccoli is also increasingly marketed as frozen, mainly in the form of individualized florets, either alone or in combination with other vegetables in ready to cook mixes. In those cases as well, there is a need to handle and process the broccoli heads after harvesting as quickly as possible in order to preserve all the organoleptic qualities of the product.  Effects of high-pressure processing (HPP, 100–600 MPa for 3 min at 30 °C) on the glucosinolate content, conversion to isothiocyanates, and color changes during storage in fresh broccoli sprouts were investigated. A mild heat treatment (60 °C) and boiling (100 °C) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Glucosinolates were quantified using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and isothiocyanates were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection. A formation of isothiocyanates was observed in all high-pressure-treated sprouts. The highest degree of conversion (85%) was observed after the 600 MPa treatment. Increased isothiocyanate formation at 400–600 MPa suggests an inactivation of the epithiospecifier protein. During storage, color changed from green to brownish, reflected by increasing a* values and decreasing L* values. This effect was less pronounced for sprouts treated at 100 and 600 MPa, indicating an influence on the responsible enzymes. In summary, HPP had no negative effects on the glucosinolate–myrosinase system in broccoli sprouts.


There is still a need for broccoli plants that produce head and/or florets that can be harvested and processed with the minimum hand-labor input in order to minimize the costs associated with the harvesting and/or processing of those heads and/or florets, particularly for the manufacture of individualized florets. This present invention aims at solving this problem and is addressing the need of providing a broccoli plant that produces a head that can be harvested by machine and florets that can also be harvested and/or processed by machine with minimal hand labor.

Accordingly, this present invention provides a cultivated broccoli plant having, at the harvestable stage, a head comprising a primary stem on which are branched secondary stems with florets at their top, characterized in that the florets are comprised within a plane substantially parallel to the ground.

Another plant provides an assembly of broccoli heads, particularly isolated broccoli heads, comprising at least two broccoli heads, each comprising a primary stem on which are branched secondary stems with florets at their top, characterized in that the florets are comprised within a plane substantially parallel to the ground when the head stands in the upward position.

The present invention allows a reduction in most of the harvesting and processing issues and costs associated with them.

A tour of the packing station in Totana makes it clear that there is a multitude of customers and packaging options. The fruits and vegetables are packed by Agrícola Santa Eulalia in three packing locations. "We grow our own crops in, among others, Murcia, Albacete, Granada and Campo de Cartagena. Thanks to our own cultivation, we can guarantee a stable supply to our customers. Every year, we pack around 25 million kilos of broccoli and cauliflower," says Pedro.

The clientele features all kinds of customers, from the top retailers to discounters. "We have the volume to serve the entire retail spectrum," says the sales manager. According to Pedro, the cultivation has had a fairly normal development this year, with few excesses. "There is increasing competition from other areas in Spain, but fortunately, Murcia region still concentrates around 85% of total growing area."

For more information:
Pedro M. García Belmonte
(Export Area Manager)
Agrícola Santa Eulalia S.L.
Dip. Lébor s/n. Totana, Murcia. Spain
T: +34 968425131
M: +34 650379802
export@agricolasantaeulalia.es
www.agricolasantaeulalia.es





Broccoli moves from ice age to fresh packaging
StePac L.A. Ltd.’s modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging technology (MA/MH) is integrating sustainability into the long-haul transport of fresh broccoli and other vegetables traditionally shipped in ice. The technology effectively eliminates the need for ice and non-recyclable wax cartons while enhancing food safety.

There are multiple benefits of Xtend Iceless MA/MH bulk packaging for maintaining the freshness of broccoli in transit. Most notable is its positive environmental impact through driving substantial reductions in carbon emissions and food waste — two of the greatest ecological challenges facing the fresh produce industry. An added advantage is that of considerable cost savings in packaging (up to 40%) and transport expenses.

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
In certain countries, such as the US, broccoli and other produce items are typically packed in waxed cartons filled with ice to keep the produce cool and maintain freshness during storage and shipment. However, when the ice melts onto the produce it creates a mess and encourages growth of both plant and human pathogens. Waxed cartons also are non-recyclable. This generates untenable disposal problems for supermarkets, many of which are seeking greener alternatives in the wake of new laws imposed to tackle this problem.

One of the biggest challenges the company faced when developing the product was how to integrate modified atmosphere packaging into a field-packed process. Much of the broccoli in the US is field-packed in cartons, palletized, and then ice is added upon arrival at the packing house. Field-packing represents an obstacle for implementation of MA/MH technology.

“We developed a solution that enables the broccoli to be field-packed in Xtend packaging and then forced air and/or vacuum cooled in the sealed packaging. This seamlessly integrates the packaging into the existing packing process,” explained Gary Ward, Ph.D., Business Development Manager for StePac, noting that the system is patented in the U.S. and Mexico.

For more information;
Ms. Hila Nagel
StePac
Tel: +972 4 612 3500
Email: info@StePac.com
www.StePac.com



Reducing produce waste and carbon footprint with Xtend® packaging
The greatest environmental challenges that face the fresh produce industry are food wastage and carbon emission during transportation. According to the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1.3 billion tons of food worldwide are thrown away annually. This represents 1 third of all the food that is produced. Interestingly, the vast majority of food is lost during the supply chain and then to a lesser extent during consumption. In order to mediate food wastage, fresh produce distributors often opt for air as opposed to sea freight which further compounds the environmental impact. The amount of carbon emissions per mile by air is over 30 times more than by sea freight according to the Carbon Fund and air freight is substantially more expensive.

The good news is that using Xtend® MA/MH freshness preserving packaging is an affordable solution that directly addresses these issues by significantly extending the shelf life of fresh produce often permitting sea freight, reducing wastage and increasing the amount and quality of fresh produce that arrive to market.




A study published by Wageningen University indicates that CO2 emissions are reduced by between 92-95% when transporting fresh produce via sea freight (Tables 2 - 4). Nevertheless, sea freight is attainable only when fresh produce is packed in StePac’s Xtend® MA/MH packaging, which preserves quality and freshness en-route. In the study, white asparagus is transported from Peru to Holland, green onion is transported from Egypt to the UK and cherries are transported from Chile to the UK by sea freight and all benefit greatly from using Xtend® MA/MH packaging as opposed to air freight.




Xtend® MA/MH packaging also proves beneficial for USA customers who transport broccoli by land. In combination with vacuum cooling, 33% more broccoli is packed in the same container space while reducing total gross weight by 30% in comparison with packing in ice (Fig. 1). The elimination of ice enables 28 instead of 20 pallets of 64 cartons to be loaded per truck due to weight reduction. By eliminating ice, waxed cartons, which are non-recyclable and expensive to dispose of, can be replaced by recyclable non-waxed carton. The innovative approach results in fewer shipments, saving up to 40% on logistic costs, cutting CO2 emissions from 359 Kg/t to 215 Kg/t, a 40% reduction in carbon print (Table 4). The benefits continue; the use of dry, iceless Xtend® MA/MH packaging for broccoli is also superior to packing with ice in reducing microbial load, hence adding to food safety.


Fig. 1. Broccoli packed in ice in waxed cartons before shipment (left) and broccoli packed in iceless Xtend® modified atmosphere packaging (right).

A survey which includes several customers who transport fresh produce commodities from South and Central America to Europe using Xtend® assesses its impact on the environment. The survey reveals reduction in wastage due to less spoilage and weight loss depending on the produce and supply chain. For instance french beans shipped from Central America to the USA showed a waste reduction of 6%, cantaloupe melons shipped from Central America to the USA and Europe showed waste reduction of 8% and white asparagus shipped from South America to Europe showed a waste reduction of 12%.



In addition to the benefits during the supply chain, Xtend® also offers exciting application at home to reduce waste. Although results vary depending on the produce item, as much as 100% extended shelf life can be achieved with Xtend® Home Use bags over non packed produce in your refrigerator. So when correctly used, StePac’s Xtend® packaging will reduce wastage and enhance quality and freshness at all stages where waste occurs.

StePac L.A. Ltd develops and manufactures the MA/MH Xtend® packaging for a wide range of fruits and vegetables. The information presented herein indicates that the use of Xtend® plastic packaging positively impacts the environment, reducing carbon foot print and carbon emissions, and saving on food wastage.



Sources:
Westra, E.H. and Eppink, M.M. 2008. Positive impact of plastic packaging on CO2 emissions. Wageningen UR, Agrotechnology and Food Science Group. Aharoni, N., Rodov, V., Fallik, E., Porat, R., Pesis, E. and Lurie, S. 2008. Controlling humidity improves efficacy of modified atmosphere packaging of fruits and vegetables. Acta Hort. 804:121-128.

For more information:
Andy Swersky
Stepac
Tel: +972 (0)4 9872131 ext 114
Mob: +972 (0)52 6440771
www.stepac.com



Brima: Pack packaging machines, ongoing innovation in vegetable handling
60 years after the foundation of the company, BrimaPack has become one of the worlds leading manufacturers for fruit and vegetable packaging solutions.

For the innovative development of the packaging systems BrimaPack is nominated for Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2014 with the “Extended shelf life packaging for Broccoli”.

Broccoli extended shelf life packaging consists of two unique elements BrimaFilm AF and NicePack packing systems.



The new BrimaFilm AF has been exclusively developed to increase the shelf life of Broccoli and other Brassicas such as Cauliflower, Cabbage... The Extension of the shelf life is at least 5 – 8 days (at 18 degrees centigrade). This reached in a natural way by creating an optimal atmosphere for Broccoli storage and display. The Anti fogging characteristics and packing design further enhance the fresh produce image.

The film is optimized for Broccoli, without expensive perforation, without adding any chemicals or gasses and without substances applied in the film in order to absorb ethylene released from the product.

The substantial reduction of packaging cost, as well as an improved product image and taste lead to lower distribution and recall costs.

BrimaFilm AF is specially developed to be used on the comapy's unique VePack 200-PHBR packing machine. Film is available in three different widths: 550, 600 and 650 mm. So it can be used for all sizes of broccoli in the different weight classes. Similar results on shelf life extension have been reached with Cauliflower.

The company's state of the art, self propelled harvesting and packaging systems are favoured by large growers in Northern Europe. Over the years the company has gathered a solid know-how in development, production and implementation of customer oriented solutions in the agricultural and food industry all over the world. The machines are used in the warehouses and directly in the open field. Brazilian heat and drought, as well as the cold and wet English climate cannot harm the systems. Some even operate 7 days per week and 24 hours per day.

The range covers a wide group; from harvesting rigs, packaging machines and grading lines including all logistics solutions.

BrimaPack is specialised in packaging of the single, products such as: Iceberg lettuce, Broccoli, Cabbage, Melons, etc.

For these products two different series of packaging machines have been developed: StretchPack; the VePack S machine series for Stretch film, and NicePack; the VePack P machine series, for CPP type films.

The advantage of the both machines is that the produce is wrapped and closed in the packaging film without use of further materials such as punnets or clips.


The StretchPack is mainly used for packaging of the Broccoli, Cauliflower, (China) Cabbage… StretchPack guarantees the highest possible packing quality and product visibility at the lowest film costs. With a single packing machine one person can realize the same output as 5 people packing by hand. At the same time shelf life and film costs do not change. The machines can be used stand alone, or can be integrated in a complete logistic solution. The capacity of the single machine is up to 1250 heads per hour. The overall performance of complete solutions depends on the number of integrated individual machines.

The NicePack was originally designed for Iceberg Lettuce. Because of machine and special film developments, the systems now can also be used for the packaging of Broccoli, Cauliflower, Melons and other fruit & vegetables.

The new (CPP) packaging film has been developed for the optimal use of machines and for a longer shelf life.

The products which have been packed in the NicePack have an innovative packing design: closed but breathable, a tight packing with a seal at the butt.
With one NicePack up to 1000 products per hour can be packed. By using of multiple machines, the system output can be multiplied.

Thanks to the ridged design of the NicePack, the machines can operate inside a packing facility or can be mounted on self propelled harvesting machines to harvest, grade, pack and label the produce directly in the field, which makes our machines unique in the world.

Range of the NicePack series exists of various models and types; manually operated or with horizontal or vertical in feed systems which automatically feed the produce into the packaging machines. For Broccoli and Melons there are dedicated models.


The most cost effective way of packing Iceberg Lettuce is to do it directly in the field. For this BrimaPack has developed the modular VePack 200-PRV machine with a vertical in feed system. At field level the workers cut & clean the lettuce and place it in the in feed system. The produce is then transported to the packing units.

These solutions however are not suitable for small/midsize growers.
To be able to serve these growers BrimaPack has developed a new harvesting system, type Rover. The new, agile, and compact Rover concept will be introduced at Fruit Logistica 2014.



The maximum capacity is up to 3,000 heads/hour.
What makes the system unique is that the drive system while harvesting is fully electric. After completion of the harvest the system can be folded in less than 15 minutes and towed to the next field as one compact trailer unit.

BrimaPack will be presented at the Fruit Logistica 2014 in Hall 3.1, Booth B-05.


For more information::
BrimaPack BV
Ron van de Pavert
M +31 (0) 653 923 417
T +31 (0) 315 640 731
Email: info@brimapack.com
www.brimapack.com


Weighing and labeling automatically in a packing plant
It is green and known to be healthy: broccoli. In Europe, the Netherlands ranks among its most important exporting countries. The Gebr. Hoff en Zonen company cultivates in Andijk in Western Frisia. Freshly harvested, the broccoli finds its way to the packing hall to get prepared for delivery to supermarkets. The packing plant has been developed by Tegra Systems, a system integrator and cab partner. Along each conveyor line, a maximum of 70 broccoli per minute can be shrink-wrapped in transparent foil, weighed, labeled and sorted fully automatically one by one.

Making two from one
The two companies have already been working together successfully for more than ten years. Until 2018, Gebr. Hoff en Zonen had available one conveyor line to process the broccoli. Then they expressed the requirement to add a second line to the plant and to increase the output. André van Teeffelen, Sales Engineer at Tegra Systems, sums up: “The customer demanded solid technology that takes the work of the employees and operates quickly, precisely and error-free even in the longterm. The technology is not limited to devices. It also collects all data that is of interest for the grower of the product, its customers in retail and wholesale, or the consumer. It thus contributes to the verification and traceability of broccoli as well as to food safety and quality”.“

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Labeling while the product is in motion: It is not necessary to stop the conveyor belt.

Customized workstations
For Gebr. Hoff en Zonen, an automated system was put into practice that shrink-wraps broccoli in foil, weighs, labels and presorts the vegetables after they had been poured in the conveyor line. Two Hermes+ systems are installed on each conveyor line for printing and applying labels. Various label layouts are in use. Product information is printed rapidly on labels by the first Hermes+ and the labels are applied precisely on each wrapped broccoli: What vegetable is it? What is its weight? Which is its commercial category? Pre-printed decoration labels are applied by the second Hermes+. Finally, the identified broccoli is sorted. What initially looks like rotating windmills, is for sliding the items arriving in rapid succession on the conveyor off the belt to the correct weight section.

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Left: Various label layouts are in use. - Right: A MACH 4S Printer on a broccoli collecting station.

Reasons for choosing cab
According to André van Teeffelen, “Hermes systems can be very well integrated to conveyor lines with the help of stands, assembly aids, sensors or switches. The firmware enables fast printer programming. A minimum of efforts is required to maintain the devices. All this is exactly what we need in our plants”.

Cab for Hermes systems provides a large number of modules to apply printed labels on products – for example by tamping, rolling or blowing on, corner-wrap, on round materials such as cables or pipes. Any possible task can be solved. This is unique on the market. In the case of Gebr. Hoff en Zonen, Tegra Systems has decided for the air jet box 6114. It sucks a label printed by the Hermes print unit with the help of a fan. A powerful blast of air makes a label overcome distances of about 20 cm to apply on the broccoli without contacting its surface. No pressure is exerted on the vegetables.

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Full labeling
Each broccoli is different. As a consequence, the Hermes systems have to apply labels dynamically on items of different sizes and shapes within the conveyor line. Uneven foil materials used to shrink-wrap the vegetables as well as the quick succession at which a broccoli passes the labeling station one after the other are further critical factors that are taken into account. If a label falls off a product during further transport on the conveyor belt, this broccoli gets its label by an employee later on. MACH 4S label printers are available in every weight section at which broccoli is collected in boxes. By means of the peel-off plate of the printer, a label separates from its liner. This makes manual removal of a label an easy thing to do.

For more information:
Cab
Tel: +49 721 6626 444
www.cab.de/en/





Greek broccoli enters European markets
The season for broccoli in Greece started with large volumes and good prices. "We have a good time, so we grow more broccoli every day. The prices on the market are about €.80 to €.90 per kilogram for loose broccoli. The prices for broccoli in ice boxes of 8 kg are about €9 per box and for 5 Kg are about €5,50 per box," says Greek exporter and grower Markos Sapountzoglou.



The season for broccoli in Greece begins in September and will end at the end of May or the beginning of June. According to Mark, it is still too early to say how the rest of the season will unfold. "We hope to have a good time, but we do not know how things will go."



Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability




Last year, many vegetables were destroyed due to frost in January. "However, the weather is good so far. Although Greece has been hit by some bad weather last month, this has had no consequences for Greek broccoli. "For some the weather was perfect!"



Marco grows his broccoli in the northern part of Greece, near the city of Pella in the area of Thessaloniki. "There are more broccoli growers here, and we are starting to grow larger volumes of broccoli last year which is our third year of export."



"Greece is best known for the production of watermelon instead of broccoli or other vegetables. There is a three-year increase in export volumes for broccoli. We are finding new markets in Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. "



Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability




The main problem that holds the Greek export of broccoli back is the lack of volume. According to Markos, quality and sizes are perfect. Many importers aren’t yet aware of Greek broccoli. They mostly import broccoli from Spain or Italy. "We’re only now starting to create a market. It’s a bit difficult, but our quality is perfect. Our volumes will increase in the next year.”



The main difference between the domestic market and countries like Germany or Poland is packaging. The Greek market prefers loose broccoli, while customers abroad demand broccoli in foil package. Markos thinks it’s important for Greek companies to adapt to the requirements for packaging of other countries in order to successfully enter the international market.



Greece is currently producing enough broccoli to supply the domestic market and only needs to rely on import from Spain or Italy during bad growing circumstances. The domestic consumption of broccoli is increasing. “More people start consuming broccoli every year. Broccolis are taking away market share of cauliflowers. To some extent, this is because of the media. People see more broccoli in cooking shows on TV and now want to try it for themselves,” says Markos in conclusion.



For more information:

Sapountzoglou Markos

Tel & Fax +302382093307

Mob. +306937060385

Email: Markos.sapountzoglou@gmail.com

www.broccoli.gr



Tenderstem® broccoli looks forward to UK season with confidence
June marks the beginning of the UK-grown Tenderstem® broccoli season and despite challenging circumstances, the forecast looks sunny for the leading brassica brand, which has been working hard with licensees in the UK and overseas to ensure top quality, consistent supply throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sales for April 2020 were up 26% year-to-date, even though coronavirus restrictions meant volumes in March and April were impacted by a reduction in demand from food service.

Tenderstem® marketing manager Lacey Bradshaw says: “The pandemic has caused concern for the UK’s fresh produce industry for a number of reasons, not least the impact it has had on the availability of skilled seasonal workers who pick and pack crops like Tenderstem® broccoli throughout the summer. Knowing that this was a real concern for our growers we acted quickly to offer a recruitment support package harnessing the power of social media and PR to help growers recruit new people successfully.”

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
The PR-led initiative targeted local news media with a call for furloughed workers and other job seekers to consider a job working outdoors, safely physically distanced, harvesting UK-grown Tenderstem® broccoli. The impact was considerable with one grower reporting 1,000 applications following a local media call out for people to ‘pick for Britain’.

The UK Tenderstem® broccoli crop will be in store from now until late autumn.

Stuart Cox, managing director at Sakata, the seed specialists behind Tenderstem® broccoli, said: “April and May presented challenging conditions for our UK growers, with record-breaking sunshine hours and very low rainfall. Fortunately, our experienced growers know how to manage these conditions and have been busy nurturing the crop and watering regularly. Growers have also observed that the warm conditions and long days the country has been experiencing have triggered rapid growth of the crop, in turn producing especially tender Tenderstem® broccoli. Prospects for July and beyond are looking good in terms of yield and product quality so we’re feeling very positive about the UK season which lies ahead.”

Lacey Bradshaw continued: “In an exceptionally difficult period we have been reassured that consumer demand for Tenderstem® broccoli is consistent and we’ll be continuing to provide recipe inspiration designed to help consumers enjoy a little adventure at mealtimes even if physical travel is off the agenda for a while.”

For more information:
Carys Barker
MCG
Tel: +44 113 307 0113
Email: carys.barker@mcg.agency





Vegetable grower-shipper kicks off Florida broccoli season
CarbAmericas, importer of fresh fruits and vegetables, kicks off its Florida broccoli program next week with a new season of growing in the Sunshine State. Broccoli harvesting will continue through mid-April.



The Florida harvest complements the company’s established Mexico and East Coast offerings. This year, the Florida program accounts for more than 400 acres of their broccoli program, nearly doubling their volume from 2016. Growing in Florida allows CarbAmericas to offer customers a year-round broccoli program.



“We’ve done a lot of research and continue to work closely with our seed partners to perfect the varieties for this climate,” said Jeff Friedman, president of CarbAmericas. “We currently grow seedlings in greenhouses which helps us get better yields and consistent sizing. We are also working with new seed varieties that we trialed last year and proved worthy of our program.”







Also on their side is their relationship with grower TJ Bratcher, whose family brings over 30 years of experience to the operation. Last month, the Flagler County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship awarded Bratcher and his family with a certificate of outstanding achievement for implementing environmentally sound stewardship practice as a thank you for their commitment to Florida’s environment. Bratcher and his family currently grow seedlings in greenhouses in the state.



Additionally, CarbAmericas attributes some of the success of the program to an ideal location.



“Our location in North Florida places us at a perfect location for freight,” said Danny Pollak, vice president of sales of CarbAmericas. “We can utilize trucks coming from various locations south of us who have just come from loading produce such as blueberries and strawberries. We can be in cities like Boston and New York in a day and a half to two days and are able to provide our customers with a quicker and more efficient supply chain.”



Later this month, CarbAmericas will begin building a packing plant which will be used to not only pack and ship broccoli but also other items such as cauliflower, potatoes, squash and cucumbers to name a few. The facility is projected to be completed by late summer 2018 and will be in full operation for next year’s December crop.



This season, CarbAmericas will ship Asian Cut Crown broccoli in wax boxes, iced from an onsite machine out of Bunnell, Fla. Orders can also be placed for iceless crowns upon request.



For more information:

Jeff Friedman

CarbAmericas

Tel: 954-786-0000

jl.friedman@carbamericas.com

www.carbamericas.com





Broccoli Cole Slaw celebrates 25 years
In 1991, recent college graduate Joe Nucci was tasked with creating a healthy and unique value-added product using broccoli stalks. At the time, Mann’s was one of the world’s largest shippers of fresh broccoli florets and, once the florets were cut, the stalks were hauled away to feed livestock. The stalks were not going to waste, per se, but the leaders at Mann’s sought to create a product that could be marketed to consumers and thus sold at a better margin. Nucci joined forces with late industry legend David Stidolph and the two collaborated with expert chefs who coined the term “Hearts of Broccoli.” Soon thereafter, Broccoli Cole Slaw was born.



Consumers quickly fell in love and the product remains a staple of produce departments across the U.S. and Canada (broccoli cole slaw is sold in 92 percent of total U.S. retailers according to AC Nielsen, week ending 4/2/16). Nucci’s vision influenced the entire slaw category and paved the way for other “vegetable based” or more “nutrient dense” salad blends such as Mann’s Power Blend and Rainbow Salad.







“To highlight the celebration of Mann’s Broccoli Cole Slaw, we’ve redesigned our packaging to reflect the 25th anniversary, and included Power Blend and Rainbow Salad in the redesign to create a Veggie Slaw destination in the value-added produce section,” said Gina Nucci, director of corporate marketing at Mann’s. “These complementary products are consumer favorites and allow for creativity and versatility in the kitchen; they go way beyond just a cold salad application. Our new packaging design calls out these multiple uses: TOSS – BOOST – SEASON.”



The late Joe Nucci is widely regarded as the “Father of Broccoli Cole Slaw”; the creator of one of the industry’s leading examples of product innovation – making a value-added product from what was once a byproduct.



The theme of the 25th anniversary celebration is honoring both the company’s past and the creativity of their consumers who cook with the product. Through to the end of the year, there will be special opportunities to commemorate Broccoli Cole Slaw including a recipe contest, a Girlfriends Guide, trade ads, the aforementioned newly designed packaging and declaring September Broccoli Cole Slaw month (#BrocSlaw25).



"We have achieved this milestone through customer loyalty, the hard work and dedication of our employees and the innovative culture of the company,” said Chairman & CEO, Lorri Koster. “All of us are driven by the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders. Ironically, at times we find ourselves having to procure just broccoli stalks – the byproduct has literally become the product.”

According to Nielsen-Perishables Group Fresh Facts (YTD ending 7/30/2016), Mann’s is the number one brand in the broccoli cole slaw segment and accounts for 46 percent of the broccoli cole slaw volume sold at retail in the U.S. Mann’s Broccoli Cole Slaw ranks as one of the top selling items in the fresh-cut vegetable category with 18 units per store per week. Velocity is up 4 percent versus a year ago.

Koster continues, “The quarter of a century of success for this one item is a testament to our customers’ confidence in Mann’s and to our culture of innovation. We can’t wait to show them what’s up next.”



For more information:

Jacob S. Shafer

Mann Packing Co., Inc.

+1 831 796 2663

Jacob.Shafer@MannPacking.com







Mann Packing releases retail power blend
Mann Packing has created an all-new retail Power Blend containing some of the world’s most powerful super food vegetables.

“Power Blend is completely on trend with current restaurant offerings. Now consumers can enjoy it at home as a cold salad, hot sauté or adding it to their favorite juicing recipes,” said Kim St. George, Mann’s Director of Marketing and Communications. “Mann’s Power Blend is the first to include Kohlrabi, a mild, sweet crisp vegetable high in Vitamin C & fiber. Also, Brussels sprouts and kale continue to grow in popularity, and combined with Napa cabbage, broccoli and carrots, this blend is truly nutritious, delicious and has multiple uses.”



Mann’s Power Blend is shredded and packed into one bag, containing “super food” ingredients of all kinds. The super food name comes from their high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants including foods like kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, Napa cabbage, carrots and broccoli.

The vegetables in Mann’s Power Blend are washed and ready to use, and versatile enough for multiple uses such as salads, stir-fry or juicing. According to a press release, Mann has already found success with the product for foodservice customers, leading the company to create a retail version as well. For consumers, Mann is providing the blend on its own to be prepared as they wish.

Mann’s Power Blend is available to customers in the U.S. and Canada in 10-ounce bags, with a suggested retail price is $2.49 to $2.79. Mann packing recommends merchandising with Broccoli Slaw and Rainbow Salad to create a slaw destination for consumers.

Please visit veggiesmadeeasy.com for more information.



“Scarce supply of cauliflower and broccoli; sales of chicory surprisingly good during warm weather”
The supply of broccoli and cauliflower is scarce at the moment, according to Gerard Korse of distribution and packing centre Tolpoort from Hoogkarspel, the Netherlands. “This week and next week we won’t have a lot of cauliflower and broccoli yet, but supply will starts increasing from September.”

“Traditionally, less is planted for this period because of the lower demand during the summer holidays, but the warm weather resulted in a delay in setting, particularly in cauliflower, and the effects of that can now be noticed,” Gerard says. “At the same time, the weather is now good for consumption, because it’s a bit cooler. That’s causing shortages on the market.”

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Prices of both broccoli and cauliflower are therefore good. “If there’s one per cent too much, prices are lower. When there’s a shortage of one per cent, prices rise. That’s just the way it is,” Gerard soberly continues. “Fortunately, we can serve our regular customers fairly well, although you can notice supply is scarce throughout Europe. The UK also has a scarcer supply of cauliflower and broccoli.”

“At the same time, the sales of chicory are fairly stable. Because other outdoor vegetables are more expensive, prices of chicory can be seen to recover a bit as well. It was falling behind that of broccoli and cauliflower for a while, but it’s now headed in the right direction. Besides, it’s positive that a considerable volume of chicory was sold during those warm weeks. Apparently, quite a few chicory salads were eaten when the weather was warm!”

Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
Broccoli packing processing inventory control sales traceability
For more information:
Gerard Korse
DC Tolpoort
Tolweg 7
1616 AT Hoogkarspel, the Netherlands
T: +31 228 56 57 80
gkorse@tolpoort.com
www.tolpoort.com







Ecuador: Broccoli is recovering after falling 30% in the first half of the year
The production of broccoli in Ecuador has been affected by unusual weather problems in the past two years. Heavy hailstorms in 2013 and a period of high clouds that lasted until the first half of 2014 caused a 30% drop in production until July this year.



Ecuadorian broccoli production is concentrated in a relatively small mountainous area located some 3,000 meters above sea level.



"We don't have many insects because of the high altitude so we can use less pesticides. Another important factor is that, since we are located in the equatorial zone, we can produce all year and the sun is very strong which helps our product acquire a stronger green colour and a sweeter taste," said engineer Pedro José Guarderas of Ecofroz SA.



Ecofroz SA is one of the largest exporters in the country and has nearly 600 acres devoted to the production of broccoli, mainly of the Avenger variety, as well as their own packing facility.



The company exports about 24,000 tons of frozen broccoli per year. Ecofroz's main markets are Japan, where they ship 50% of their production, and Europe and the U.S. market where they send the remaining 50%.



While Ecuador has the potential to open new markets for broccoli in markets such as Russia and the Middle East, the decline in production has forced the country to put that possibility on hold, as they must first meet their prior commitments.



"I don't think our product has a great potential in Russia because, unlike Japan, it is a market that is more concerned about price than quality," said Guarderas.



According to the engineer, the production began to stabilize in July and the weather conditions are now normal, so there should be a recovery in volume by the end of 2014 and in 2015.



Even though the company doesn't produces organic broccoli yet, they do have a kosher production and a pesticide-free product.



"Organic production without fertilizer use has a much lower productivity. It is far more expensive and only pays 30% more than the conventional production. In our opinion, there should be a 60% difference in value for it to be appealing," he said.