Hazelnut processing: Turkey based exporter increases efficiency with ROI in 2-3 years

Olam Progida, part of the Olam Group, founded in 1989 works from seed to shelf by supplying food and industrial raw materials to more than 22,000 customers worldwide. It is present in 66 countries and operates four hazelnut factories: three in Turkey  - in Giresun, Ordu and Sakarya -- and one in Georgia.

In addition to natural high-quality hazelnuts, Olam Progıda offers added value products such as blanched, roasted and diced hazelnut kernels and hazelnut paste. Underlining that they are the second biggest exporter of hazelnuts in the world, Olam Progıda Production and Technical Services Manager Aykut Gören explained: “Turkey supplies 70 percent of the annual hazelnut production of the world. The Turkish hazelnut is also very suitable for industrial use, but of course, processing conditions are at least as important as production conditions. At Olam Progıda, we process hazelnuts in our modern integrated facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology. The performance of TOMRA sorting machines in our production line contributes greatly to our productivity.” 

The company has been using TOMRA Food's sorting technologies for the past 20 years, and today there are 18 TOMRA sorting machines in its four facilities. Most recently, in 2018 they took delivery of 4 units Nimbus BSI+ sorting machines, featuring the advanced BSI+ technology, which with its user-friendly software detects not only foreign materials, but also visual discrepancies by defining defects peculiar to hazelnut.

Olam Progıda exports more than 32 thousand tons of processed hazelnut every year primarily to Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Switzerland. Gören continued: “We are stepping out of traditional methods in the hazelnut industry. We are using cutting-edge technology and, in this regard, we are benefiting in many ways from the advantages provided by TOMRA sorting machines. With TOMRA, we not only guarantee food safety, but we also benefit in terms of operating costs. We are pleased by the high benefit-cost ratio afforded by TOMRA’s complete solutions.”

Olam Progıda supplies food products to the most well-known brands of the world. For this reason, ensuring sustainable food safety and high-quality standards is a priority in its business strategy. Gören said: “Products coming from the field first head to our cracking facilities. Before and after the cracking operation, there is considerable amount of foreign materials in the product. Our first step in food safety is sorting these unwanted materials with TOMRA equipment. Since it enables us to conduct our sorting operation 24 hours-a-day with the same performance, our efficiency increases considerably. For this reason, it is imperative that we equip our facilities with one of world-leader TOMRA technology.” 

The BSI+ module detects product defects both visible and invisible to the human eye using near infrared and visible spectrum. This technology makes the Nimbus BSI+ one of the market leaders in detecting defects in hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds and all other nuts including bug bites, rot, color defects and musty pieces.

Pointing out that Turkish hazelnut exporters are considered reliable suppliers in the global market, Aykut Gönen added: “We believe that, at this point, TOMRA also adds value. We host many of our international customers at our facilities and test our products together. They are very pleased to see TOMRA sorting machines at our facilities. Ultimately, people have confidence in TOMRA’s technology and products.”

Gören stated that, in addition to the ease of use of the machines, they are also very pleased with TOMRA’s high level of support: “In all the years we have been working with TOMRA, we have never experienced a problem critical enough to stop production. Even when we encountered minor problems, TOMRA after-sales services made sure that we continued production promptly.”

Pointing out the importance of the capacity of the lines in calculating the return on investment, Gören said: “Our investment in TOMRA pays for itself in two to three years on average.”

“Businesses using the current Nimbus BSI sorting machine can also take advantage of the BSI+ technology to increase their performance without making any mechanical changes to their sorters”, - comments TOMRA Foods Turkey Sales Manager Ahmet Koçyiğit.

For further information, please see https://www.tomra.com/food and http://www.progida.com.tr/en