Farm Refrigeration has built up a strong reputation among top fruit growers for the supply and installation of refrigeration equipment for atmosphere-controlled stores. However, md John Haffenden says he has increasingly diversified and his customer base now includes a number of other products and services, including soft fruit.
“The shelf life of soft fruit is so short so from the point of harvest refrigeration is an absolutely top priority,” says Haffenden. “You have to take the field heat out as soon as possible but the fruit has such a thin skin that it is very capable of giving out moisture if it is put in the wrong type of cold store. It can lose shine very quickly.”
According to Haffenden, while the speed of refrigeration is key, it is not the only consideration. “It is also a case of maintaining humidity by adding moisture and maintaining the total cool chain so everything is kept at 10°C.”
For producers of multiple berry products, the process is increasingly complex, he explains. “All berries need different temperatures depending on the thickness of their skin and the way they give out moisture. Strawberries are the hardest because they will lose their shine very quickly. Raspberries are not quite so difficult in that respect, but they can be pulverised more easily.”
Based in Marden, Farm Refrigeration is ideally situated to accommodate growers in Kent, which is home to a large number of soft-fruit suppliers. Haffenden trained as an electrical engineer but his father was the manager of a fruit farm in Brenchley and Haffenden seized the opportunity to combine his interests early on, designing his own systems, based on others he had encountered both in the UK and the Netherlands.
Farm Refrigeration supplies large-scale cooling tunnels which blast soft fruit with air at 1°C as it passes through on a conveyor belt. Hugh Lowe Farms, one of KG Fruits’ largest UK suppliers, installed a cooling tunnel in 2002, ready for the 2003 season. These tunnels use about 50hp each and can process around 50 pallets an hour, Haffenden explains.
Hugh Lowe Farms has increased its production volumes and now harvests just under 2,000 tonnes of soft fruit a year, as well as packing a couple of hundred tonnes for a few of its neighbouring farms. “Before the packhouse was built we were using a converted building in the main yard,” says managing director, Marion Regan. “But we had been using one of the spray chillers for a couple of seasons before that, so we already had experience with that system. Building the packhouse enabled us to serve our customers better because we can get the field heat out more quickly and handle larger volumes more efficiently. And it enabled us to use speciality packaging which we didn’t have room for before.” Regan says she has been very pleased with the facilities and help provided by Farm Refrigeration. The farm will also be looking to expand its packing and storage facilities before long, she says.
Hugh Lowe Farms produces large volumes of Elsanta strawberries, as well as Jubilee, a premium product with a very good flavour. In terms of varietal trends, Regan says growers are always on the lookout for varieties with better flavour. “Eating quality is the absolute key, since any berries that command a premium have to deliver in terms of taste.”
Regan says raspberry production has increased significantly this year. By producing raspberries under glass, for the early and late season, the farm has managed to increase the length of its campaign, which now runs from April to December instead of June to September as in previous years.
The rest of Hugh Lowe Farms’ raspberry production and 85 per cent of strawberries are produced under polytunnels, which rather than adversely affecting flavour, can actually produce better tasting fruit and lower the amount of pesticide needed, says Regan. “It makes sense to extend the season as much as possible using reasonable methods. And we do that with various techniques - using different varieties and using tunnels to advance and delay the season. It makes sense since there is so much investment needed for soft fruit to spread the costs and it helps to retain key staff.
“Soft fruit is a very challenging business. The pace of change is very quick and keeping up with it is the main issue, and managing all the labour and employment issues, with costs rising all the time.”
However, Hugh Lowe Farms is a family-owned company which has been established for more than a century and Regan says it remains happily committed to serving its customers with top-quality berries.
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