Italian cherry producer upgrades to SFS Invision 2 optical sorter by TOMRA Food

In May 2022, the cherry season at Giacovelli Srl’s plant in Turi (Bari) successfully started thanks to the innovative SFS Invision 2 optical sorter by TOMRA Food with Total View Plus, installed by Icoel, its Italian partner.

Anna and Anna Rita Giacovelli are the new generations of the Locorotondo fruit and veg company founded in 1954. Anna is the daughter of Raffaele, who manages Giacovelli along with his brother Piero. 

According to Anna, they started their business selling citrus fruits in local markets. Then they were adding other products bit by bit, including cherries. Giacovelli processes several tons annually for markets of central and Northern Europe, as well as Italy. “Because cherries are becoming more and more in demand, we invested in technology from TOMRA and Icoel.”, said Anna.

She added that with this new sorting machine, they have improved the quality of the end product and everything related to diameter selection. 

Every day, TOMRA Food’s Invision 2 accurately sorts the tons of cherries processed at Giacovelli’s Turi plant according to shape, size, and color. Meanwhile, the Total View Plus module accurately identifies defects without affecting processing speed or hourly productivity, thanks to its 7 different views of the cherry.

Technology that provides a clean and homogeneous end product

The company’s quality control manager and agronomist, Carlos Eyheralde, after over a month of using TOMRA Food’s Invision 2 at the Giacovelli packaging plant, commented that this machine really enables achieving a cleaner and more homogeneous end product. 

Despite the speed of production, the cherry is not damaged or hit, and the transfers are all carried out in the water to guarantee good distribution of the fruit to one of the thirty outlets in the plant.

As Anna stated, at Giacovelli, they are absolutely convinced that investing in technology and automation is crucial and the TOMRA and Icoel installation was the best decision this year. 

Every cherry counts

The slogan “Every resource counts” reflects TOMRA’s commitment to minimizing food waste as part of a real food “revolution” involving the whole supply chain. It leverages the newest technology developed from the needs of the fruit and veg sector.

According to Benedetta Ricci Iamino, Global Category Director Cherry, at TOMRA Food, during the past year, TOMRA´s experts have visited the largest cherry production sites worldwide, working along with their customers to understand how to help them reduce waste, improve yields, minimize labor costs and answer ongoing challenges, future market demands, and increased quality requirements.

Benedetta Ricci Iamino concluded that Italy is one of the most important markets for TOMRA Food’s cherry category and will remain their main focus. Thanks to their solid partnership with Icoel, more than 50% of the electronic sorting systems in the country come from TOMRA. The director stressed that they expect to increase this number in the next 2 years, thanks to the increasing interest in their technology from Italian customers.

Watch the video of the customer testimonial here

If you wish to upgrade to sorting solutions by TOMRA, please send your inquiry