JD Cooling Group and Worldwide Fruit Ltd launched their new avocado ripening facility

JD Cooling Group, one of the UK’s leading independent suppliers of bespoke temperature control systems, and Worldwide Fruit Ltd (WFL), an international fruit marketing and distribution company, unveiled their new Softripe® avocado ripening facility in Spalding, Lincolnshire. One hundred thirty two pallet spaces using this technology are currently in operation with fruit set to arrive nationally in stores in October 2020.

Patented Softripe® is the ripening process that uses a completely gas-tight chamber together with CO2 absorbers and nitrogen generators, which enable to control optimum levels of ethylene, CO2 and oxygen. By ‘listening and talking’ to the fruit through its respiration gases, the technology effectively adapting to its needs during the ripening cycle and guiding it through an optimum organic (biological) ripening process.

John Dye, Chairman JD Cooling Group, said, “It is not very often something comes along in our industry that is game changing, but Softripe® is most certainly that, and indeed the biggest thing to happen in the ripening sector for decades. Our ripening system allows suppliers to remove their post ripening grading process and destructive testing, and this system can achieve dramatic increases in shelf life.”

For WFL’s operation, the technology delivers a more efficient, streamlined process, including the reduction of secondary handling that will result in greater consistency and quality of the ripened fruit, coupled with far lower wastage through the reduced need for destructive testing and significant energy reduction.

Neal Collishaw, Operations Director, Worldwide Fruit Ltd, shared: “Our key strategic direction is to deliver zero waste in all of our processes. Avocados are a notoriously difficult product to ripen in a traditional ripening system. Post-ripening, we still had variability amongst the raw material, which can end up on the shelf, leading to consumer dissatisfaction. Softripe® has benefits to producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers.”

Established in 2000, JD Cooling Group is one of the UK’s leading independent suppliers of temperature control systems that work with small fresh produce businesses’, convenience food manufacturers, aerospace component manufacturers and everyone in between. The group design, install, service and maintain specialist, state-of-the-art cooling systems throughout the UK.

Click here to find more about JD Cooling's Softripe® technology.

Specializing in apples, pears and avocados, Worldwide Fruit Ltd is an international fruit marketing and distribution company that source products from over 1000 growers worldwide to the UK's leading supermarkets, ensuring continuity of supply all year round.

For more information about the company, visit their website.