Although perishable is the essence of fresh produce, some products are more perishable than others, so additional attention and innovation are required to ensure their shelf life is as long as possible and reach customers with the best achievable quality. This is La Something Corsaria is very familiar with. To ensure that their products are as fresh as possible on arrival, the Colombian herb grower and transporter invested in an innovative vacuum cooling system.
Decreased food service business in 2020 leads to a decline in demand. La Corsaria grows many different herbs, including rosemary, chives, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, tarragon and basil, but most of their production centers revolve around Mint. "We have a total production of about 26 hectares, of which about 80% is used for mint," said Ricardo Angel. To ensure the best freshness of its herbs, La Corsaria ships all products by air. "The United States is our largest market, but we also sell products to Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. Our air freight turnaround time is very fast and can be supplied throughout the year," Angel shared. Due to the pandemic, the demand for fresh-cut herbs has been hit. "Compared with 2019, demand in 2020 has dropped by about 30%. This is mainly due to the closure of catering services. The horeca department is very important to mint, so as the production capacity of catering services decreases, sometimes even completely closed, our demand It has been declining," Angel explained.
Quality has become more important now. Fortunately, La Corsaria can continue to work and develop without any major problems. "We continue to develop without any major challenges, and feel very fortunate that we can continue to have full-time employees without downsizing. We strive to create as positive a workplace as possible and believe that our quality is our success One reason," Angel said. In order to seek continuous innovation and improve quality, La Corsaria decided to invest in a vacuum cooling system designed by the Dutch company Weber Cooling. "We received this machine last year and it has been in use for about seven months now," Angel said. "We have been exploring ways to further improve our products and quality. We realize that the cold chain is one of the main parts of the problem, and it may bring challenges that affect the overall final result. Therefore, we hope to integrate this vacuum cooling Machine to strengthen our cold chain."
The extended shelf life vacuum cooling method is used to "pre-cool" the product before adding it to the cold chain. The product is cooled by evaporating moisture from the inside of the product, thereby taking energy from the product in the form of heat. "This machine cools our herbs very quickly, we cool to about 2 degrees Celsius in 15 minutes, which is the best temperature for herbs," Angel said. The way the machine cools the product-by evaporating part of the water-is also beneficial. "Usually, you would think that dry products are unfavorable, but it actually helps to further extend the shelf life. The capillary water inside the factory will cause condensation during the cold chain process, which will increase the temperature in the surrounding area and affect the delivery. Quality. By removing excess water and drying the product a little bit, this is no longer a problem and the shelf life will be extended,” Angel explained.
In addition to extending the shelf life through this drying process, the rapid efficiency of vacuum cooling also helps to extend the shelf life of the product while saving energy for the company. "When we use an ordinary refrigeration system, it takes 6 to 7 hours for the herbal medicine to reach the required temperature. With the Weber Cooling vacuum cooler, it only takes about 15 minutes. This means that we can use energy more efficiently, thereby reducing Operating costs. In addition, we can buy ourselves an extra day's shelf life because we don't have to wait these hours for the herbs to cool," Angel shared. "We have always strived to provide our customers with the best products and hope to use cutting-edge technology to do this. This is an investment, but the vacuum cooler makes us more competitive in the market, reduces risks and improves our reach Quality enables us to provide our customers with the best products and services," Angel concluded.
For more information: Sylvia van Uden Weber Cooling Phone: 31 884 256 207 Email: svu@webercooling.com www.webercooling.com
Hans Juursema Weber Cooling Tel: 31 6 12819917 Email: hj@webercooling.com www.webercooling.com
Ricardo Angel La Corsaria Tel: 57 312 336 9116 Email: ricardo@lacorsaria.com www.lacorsaria.com
Publication Date: Friday, February 12, 2021 Author: Annika Durinck © FreshPlaza.com
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