It all begins at harvesting
Daily pampering and weeding of the fields combined with collecting these precious fruits at night result in optimal harvesting conditions. Night picking safeguards fruit firmness and lessens the risk of damaging it. Our harvesting process removes a great deal of foreign matters which results in impeccable quality fruits.
Our full processes
Reception Line
Our reception line’s different stages guarantee our wild blueberries’ premium quality. The berries are cleaned, air dried and frozen. Individual quick freezing (IQF) locks in the wild blueberries’ authentic and fresh taste, as well as its nutritional value. All foreign matters are removed before our fruits go through the ultimate conditioning step.
Steps
1
Reception of wild blueberries
Reception of fruits and sorting
2
Air cleaners
removal of leaves and stems by blowers
3
Stone and sand removal
Water cleaning to remove sand and stones
4
Washing (disinfection)
Cleaning of wild blueberries with an organic sanitizer
5
Air drying spray
Air drying to remove surface water
6
IQF tunnel
Individual quick freezing of wild blueberries
7
Screening
Screening with grids to remove small fragments from the bottom and bigger fruit clusters from the top
8
Metal detector
Metal detector to remove undesirable metal particles.
9
Stem removal
Stem removal in a rotating drum
10
Magnet
powerful magnet to remove the finest metallic particles
11
Air cleaner
removal of light blueberry fragments, leaves, ice and other light matters
12
Optical sorters
Two optical sorters remove imperfect, unripe fruit, foreign matters and fruit clusters. Fruits go through the optical sorters twice overall, so they are quadruple-sorted.
13
Metal detector (1200 lbs)
Metal detectors for tote packaging (1200 lbs)
14
Conditionnement, pesée et étiquetage
Emballage dans les sacs de plastique insérés dans les boîtes, pesée et étiquetage
2
Air cleaners
removal of leaves and stems by blowers
4
Washing (disinfection)
Cleaning of wild blueberries with an organic sanitizer
6
IQF tunnel
Individual quick freezing of wild blueberries
8
Metal detector
Metal detector to remove undesirable metal particles.
10
Magnet
powerful magnet to remove the finest metallic particles
12
Optical sorters
Two optical sorters remove imperfect, unripe fruit, foreign matters and fruit clusters. Fruits go through the optical sorters twice overall, so they are quadruple-sorted.
14
Conditioning, weighing and labelling
packaging in plastic bags inserted in boxes, weighing and labelling.
Cleaning and conditioning
Quality assurance is fundamental at Grand Blue. Thanks to our FSCC 22000 (GFSI) certification, our customers may rest assured that the wild blueberries we offer meet the highest quality standards. The cleaning process is critical to obtaining premium quality, as sanitizing disinfects and eliminates all types of undesirable foreign matters which could alter our fruits’ impeccable quality.
Sorting and calibration
Our wild blueberry sorting line allows us to detect and remove all foreign plant or metal matters, however fine they may be. Our fruits may also be sorted and calibrated to standardize size and colour, and to remove defective shapes. Calibration classifies the fruit according to customers’ specifications and requirements.
Steps
1
Screening
Screening through grids, to remove small fragments from the bottom and bigger clusters by the top
2
Metal detector
Metal detector removing undesirable metal residues
3
Stem removal
Stem removal in a rotating drum
4
Air cleaner
Removal of light blueberry fragments, leaves, ice and other light residues
5
Magnet
Powerful magnet to remove the finest particles.
6
Optical sorters
Two optical sorters remove imperfect, unripe fruit, foreign matters and fruit clusters. Fruits go through the optical sorters twice overall, so they are quadruple-sorted.
7
X-ray
Sorting with an x-ray to remove foreign matters
8
Calibration
Fruit sizing of wild blueberries according to specifications
9
Conditioning, weighing
packaging in plastic bags inserted in boxes, and weighing.
10
Weight validation
Weight validation for each box
11
Metal detector
Metal detector for final packaging
12
Labelling and palletizing
Applying label including lot identification for fruit traceability. Automatic palletizing of final product
13
Storage
Storing of final product in our freezers
14
Shipping
Sending product to customers
2
Metal detector
Metal detector removing undesirable metal residues
4
Air cleaner
Removal of light blueberry fragments, leaves, ice and other light residues
6
Optical sorters
Two optical sorters remove imperfect, unripe fruit, foreign matters and fruit clusters. Fruits go through the optical sorters twice overall, so they are quadruple-sorted.
8
Calibration
Fruit sizing of wild blueberries according to specifications
10
Weight validation
Weight validation for each box
12
Labelling and palletizing
Applying label including lot identification for fruit traceability. Automatic palletizing of final product
14
Shipping
Sending product to customers
All our products are certified and meet the highest standards
Continuous investments and process improvements result in your assurance that customers will receive the best and the safest wild blueberries on the market. We enforce strict protocols during every production step and meet the highest norms and certifications.
