Treefruit Packing Facilities

Stewart and Jasper packing facilities consist of state of the art machinery for cooling and sizing treefruit. We have forced air cooling to get the core temperature of the fruit down as quickly and efficiently as possible. This prevents the fruit from breaking down prematurely, and prepares it for the trip down the packing line. We use an optical sizer to determine the size of the fruit. Everything else in the packing shed is done by hand to ensure that we are very gentle with the fruit and prevent bruising.

Incoming analysis: Once the fruit has been received from the orchard an incoming analysis is performed to determine the quality of the fruit in regard to its overall appearance, temperature, sugar content, and maturity. This analysis helps us prepare for the fruit before it goes over the packing line and the best suitable style of pack for the fruit.

Precooling: The fruit is put into cold storage immediately to prevent it from breaking down rapidly. We cool the fruit down to approximately 33 degrees Fahrenheit before it is allowed on the packing line. This is done to prevent the fruit from bruising.

Sorting: The fruit is then sorted by hand on the packing line. The people sorting are looking for any piece of fruit that may have a blemish, may be over ripe, or is unsuitable for eating. The fruit that has blemishes is then packaged for a number two grade. All other fruit is disposed of.

Sizing and labeling: The fruit then runs under the cameras of the optical sizer. This machine measures the size of the fruit. The PLU stickers are then applied to certain pieces of fruit once the size has been determined. The fruit is then gently released on the corresponding belt for its size.

Packing: Once the fruit is on the belt it is examined one last time by the sorters and is then placed into the box. The box is then labeled and palletized and sent back into cold storage to await shipment.

Styles of Packaging: Stewart & Jasper packs treefruit in three different styles. These are the single layer tray pack, double layer tray pack and volume fill box. The style of pack all depends on the type of fruit, its quality and the customer’s needs.