INTRODUCTION
Packhouse personnel assist growers with picking schedules, specifying delivery
dates and quantities of fruit required. Once each consignment of fruit is
received, it undergoes a thorough quality check for sugar and acid ratios.
The fruit is then sent to the packhouse and offloaded onto automatic conveyors.
High pressure sprayers clean off the dirt and the fruit is then treated with
fungicide to protect it during the five or six week journey to its final
market.
All three SRCC packhouses are certified according to a well-recognized global
food standard (BRC – Global Food Standard, HACCP, etc.) With food
safety at its core, the standard also looks at the packing facilities; the
production and management systems; the training of the staff and the commitment
of management to the implementation and adherence to the requirements and
principles of the standard. The SRCC Summerville packhouse has a
dedicated and certified organic and chem-free pack-line.
Fruit is tested from approximately 6 weeks before packing is to start.
When the internal maturity meets the standards and is at its best, picking and
packing may commence. Packhouse production planners assist the growers
with weekly picking schedules specifying delivery dates and quantity of fruit
required per variety.
On arrival, fruit will undergo a last internal quality test before it is
released to the packhouses where a quick external quality inspection is
performed on the fruit before it is directed to the off-loading facilities for
that product, quality or specification.
Entering the packhouse and cleaning of fruit
Fruit is washed before entering the packhouse. Samples are drawn and
graded to determine the percentage export fruit but most importantly to perform
a cull analysis inspection on the fruit. This information is captured on
computers, consolidated at an orchard level and used by our growers to help
determine what needs to be done at an orchard level in preparation of next
years crop.
Presorting of incoming fruit is carried out to eliminate any fruit that will
not meet the packing standards. This fruit has not been treated with any
Packhouse treatments and is sent to the juicing factory.
After pre-sorting the fruit goes through a bath where post harvest protection
is applied. The fruit is dried and a fruit wax is applied to protect the
fruit against moisture loss on its journey to the market.
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