Storage of fruit

Fruit respires. It ripens. And if it ripens for too long, it perishes. The shorter the time between the harvest and consumption, the better. But that is not always possible. Certainly for fruit, the season often plays a major role. Growers, fruit traders and consumers benefit from fruit being available for as long as possible. But then the fruit must, or course, be as fresh as possible and have a perfect flavour.

Giving nature a helping hand

Fruit respiration plays an important role in the ripening process. Fruit inhales oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide (CO2). This process can, however, be halted. When that happens, further ripening and aging is delayed. We achieve this by cooling and storing the fruit in a gastight store. We then lower the oxygen level and raise the carbon dioxide level. This stops the respiration and with it the ripening and aging.

Who do we store fruit for?

Since 2011, we have had access to an extremely modern cold store facility. We use this not only to store our own crops, we also (temporarily) rent the facility to third parties.

Fruit growers increasingly use our facilities to store their own fruit. Storing the fruit extends the time available to pack and deliver it. Being able to store the fruit for longer reduces deterioration and makes delivery more flexible. And that can have a beneficial financial effect.

We work increasingly more with importers and fruit wholesalers. When fruit arrives that cannot be immediately sold, cold store storage is an option. It offers the possibility to store fruit and deliver it in small batches.

Storage methods

We have ULO and CA storage facilities. The exact difference between these two methods is not clear to everyone. Therefore, we would like to explain the two methods to you.

• ULO storage

  ULO storage is extremely suitable for storing top fruit, such as apples and pears. The most important factors used to control the atmosphere are the temperature and the oxygen level. More about ULO storage
  
  

• CA storage

  We mainly use CA storage to store soft fruit in a conditioned environment. This method allows the conditions per pallet to be set. More about CA storage