Potatoes at their finest
Just one glance at the Schaap Holland stand at the FRESHCONEX is all it takes to know that the company specialises in potatoes. The experts from Schaap will be showing restaurateurs and food retailers about all the wonderful uses for this most noble of tubers. From the plain, raw product and a whole host of peeled and cooked variations, to spicy filled convenience foods for consumers. The key is to choose the right type of potato. Here's where the Dutch specialists can draw on 40 years' experience and the fact that they get their raw materials from the fertile countryside near the company's headquarters. The crème-de-la-crème of its long-term specialisation is Schaap's own potato variety, which is virtually unbeatable in terms of the quality of its taste and consistency. This is supported by a processing technique that the company says is the most modern in all of Europe and enables Schaap to peel potatoes cold.
Blue Skies guarantees fresh-cut fruit is produced fairly
The British company Blue Skies processes its fruit into top-quality fresh-cut products in Ghana, Egypt, South Africa and Brazil. In so doing, Blue Skies guarantees fair working conditions at all of its sites and makes a solid commitment to the relevant region. Founded in 1997, the company now employs more than 2,000 people. By its own assertion, it generates turnover in excess of 30 million pounds. Blue Skies exports more than 10 tonnes of processed fruit from Ghana alone every single day. In all, the Blue Skies product range comprises not only freshly cut fruits like mangoes, coconuts, pineapples, papayas, dates and grapefruit, but also a wide variety of juices and smoothies. The company's success was recognised in 2008, when it received the Queen's Award for sustainable development.
A new dimension in sorting from Belgium
Before fruit and vegetables can be processed, they must first be sorted. This separates the wheat from the chaff. The better the sorting machine, the higher the quality of the finished product and the lower the loss of useable raw materials. As its name suggests, Best (Belgian Electronical Sorting Technology) is one of the market leaders in this segment. At this year's FRESHCONEX, Best will be showcasing new camera technology for salad sorters, a system that not only detects all foreign bodies and damaged leaves, but also offers a favourably-priced alternative to existing systems. Another new development is a laser that can register even the tiniest pressure marks on berries it scans – a crucial sorting factor especially for fruits that are being portioned out for immediate consumption. 'These solutions have been developed in close cooperation with our customers,' says Steve Raskin, Best's director of sales.
100 apples a minute: ABL peels and cuts at record speed
A.B.L. srl, the peeling specialist from Italy, will be presenting its latest generation of peeling and cutting machines at FRESHCONEX. Thanks to fully-automated control, these units process up to 100 apples a minute. What's more, they preserve the outstanding characteristics of the fruit in terms of colour, taste and consistency. And that goes for any variety of apple, even irregularly shaped varieties like Bramleys. The machines also offer a wide range of cutting options, producing everything from peeled whole apples to repeatedly-cut apples, from apple pieces to slices of any thickness. Automated and time-controlled lubricating systems make these peeling miracles practically maintenance-free and an extremely useful partner of the fresh-cut industry.
Fresh-squeezed: Powerful juicers from Zumoval
The orange is to Spain what the potato is to Germany. So it's hardly surprising that a Spanish company is at FRESHCONEX demonstrating how much juice you can squeeze out of an orange. Powerful juicers from Zumoval, developed specially for high-volume use in supermarkets and hotels, are virtually unbeatable in terms of turnover volumes, speed and ease of use. Zumoval presses can produce up to 200 litres of juice in an hour. The self-service tap is simple to use and connected directly to the machine's motor. Pressing the tap starts the press, which then stops again the moment you let go of the tap. Another particularly efficient aspect is the flushing system that automatically cleans the juice area.
Freshly-cut pumpkins and sweet potatoes from Greece
Trikala Farms Ltd. will be presenting its fresh ideas for the fresh-cut segment for the very first time at this year's FRESHCONEX. The Greek wholesaler founded in 2005 specialises in the production of pumpkins, melons and sweet potatoes. Since September 2009 the company has been supplying the European market with fresh products and selling processed foods to restaurants and food retailers. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes are peeled, sliced in a variety of ways and either vacuum-packed or flash-frozen, as required. 'Our new product range is designed to address entirely new customer target groups in the convenience sector. That's why the FRESHCONEX is the perfect trade fair platform,' says Samuel Touron, the managing director of Trikala Farms.
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