Page 34 - Food&Drink magazine Feb-Mar 2023

FRESH & CHILLED
Sealing in the freshness
Leading Australian berry producer Piñata Farms is now presenting all premium strawberries and raspberries in heat-sealed punnets, lifting the bar for berry production in Australia.
PIÑATA Farms’ move to heat sealing punnets has several benefits, including reducing 30 per cent plastic use in response to customer and consumer demand for less plastics in the fresh produce chain.
Managing director Gavin Scurr says Piñata Farms was the only premium berry producer to consistently present fruit in heat- sealed punnets, after installing five ProSeal machines across three farm sites in Queensland and Tasmania in the past year.
Manufactured in the United Kingdom at a cost of $300,000 a
machine, the GT2 models had the capacity to handle 21 cycles a minute, he explains.
“We have the machines set at 19 cycles a minute to handle
six 125g raspberry punnets at a time, equating to 114 every minute or 6840 every hour. They also handle six 250g strawberry punnets or four 350g strawberry punnets at a time.
“We looked at various other heat-sealing machines when we first started heat-sealing BerryWorld raspberries in 2019 and ProSeal seemed to be the benchmark. With identical models across all sites and access to interchangeable parts, it made sense to scale up with ProSeal when we moved to
100 per cent heat sealing on all premium berry lines last winter.”
Scurr says the film used to seal the punnets was supplied by Richdale Plastics in Melbourne, and was selected for its high clarity to enhance the visual appeal of berries and retain freshness.
“The presentation of fruit in heat-sealed punnets is superior and consumers can clearly see
ABOVE: Piñata Farms can heat seal 114 punnets of raspberries a minute using ProSeal GT2 machines.
LEFT: The business moved to heat sealing on all premium berry lines in mid 2022.
what they are buying. The film is also made of high tensile for strength which is important for stacking punnets during transit and display.
“Consumers are driving the reduction of plastics in the food chain and heat-sealing is one way to do that. We have also adopted this technology as a point of difference and to lift the bar for berry production in Australia.
“The cost of heat-sealing is prohibitive to many. Only serious producers who are committed to quality all along the supply chain and who have scale will be able to do it.”
Piñata Farms is now at the peak of its summer berry production with Stanthorpe, southern Queensland and Orielton, Tasmania producing premium Piñata strawberries and BerryWorld raspberries. It also produces both lines at Wamuran, south-east Queensland and has the capacity to supply both lines 12-month of the year.
The company was founded in the 1960s by Gavin Scurr’s father Geoff.
It is the largest pineapple producer in Australia, one of the largest strawberry producers, and holds the breeding rights for specialty Honey Gold mangoes. ✷
34 | Food&Drink business | February/March 2023 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au