Spargelmesser Firmenich has already installed 120 Limex crate washing machines in Germany
Asparagus is known as the white gold in Germany, where more than two thousand growers cultivate white and green asparagus on over 21,000 hectares. They often combine this with the cultivation of soft fruit: berries, strawberries and raspberries. The soft fruit season doesn’t overlap with the asparagus season, and sales often take place through the same channels. That’s why many growers combine these products.
All in all it’s a very big market, and all those growers need to be supplied with materials to work with. Spargelmesser Firmenich has long been supplying everything needed to grow asparagus and berries in the entire German-language region. Apart from Germany, they also supply to Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Belgium and France.
Half a dozen crate washing machines each year
A staple in the Firmenich product range are the Limex crate washing machines. Every year the company orders around six of them, which need to be ready for the start of the asparagus season, so that they can be delivered from stock. This way, Firmenich supplies their customers in just 1 day – quite a feat, especially in recent years, so that’s something users value very highly.
Firmenich has already installed around 120 Limex crate washing machines in Germany. It began with the Teco model, and later the T1500E type was added. The T1500E is a machine with additional functions and options, while the Teco is the basic model that can be used economically.
And the washing machines also travel to Karlsruhe each year, where they are showcased in Firmenich’s booth at the expoSE.
Hygiene in the asparagus sector
In the asparagus sector, cultivation hygiene and food safety are becoming increasingly important. While there aren’t any viruses in asparagus cultivation like in cucumbers (CGMMV) or tomatoes (ToBRFV), hygiene is still key. By carrying out all the steps in cultivation and processing of asparagus with clean materials, the asparagus remains clean and fresh, and both quality and shelf life increase. If needed, the crate washing machines can be fitted with a dosing pump for soap or disinfectant.
Clean harvest crates or transport crates are also very important in soft fruit cultivation. Soft fruit is very vulnerable, making it more sensitive to decay.
No doubt about choosing solid crate washing machines
Company director Jürgen Firmenich describes the Limex washing machines as solid: “There are hardly any service issues, they’re always performing well. Although at first I hesitated about buying expensive machines, now all doubt is gone, because they just work. If all suppliers would perform like Limex, my troubles would be as good as gone: communication is good, and if an issue does arise, it’s resolved quickly.”
Jürgen also sees a lot of interest from growers in the washing machines, thanks to the high resale value. “The machines can easily be resold, which lowers the threshold for users to purchase them,” he concludes.
