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Quick-freeze product is hot stuff


Major processors are investing in European equipment to getmore frozen berries tomarket.


By Grant Ullyot T


here has been a huge shift among the province’s raspberry and blueberry processors to


freeze their berries. Ten new machines developed in Europe have been purchased and are being used to freeze berries for shipment to markets both inside and outside Canada. The Lally blueberry farmis one of the


largest freshmarket processors in B.C. Located in Abbotsford, its berries come frommore than 400 acres of cropland it owns. All the blueberries are hand- picked to ensure only the best possible are selected for processing. Lally employs about 150 pickers


during harvest season. Another 150 people are employed in the 30,000 square-foot processing plant. The latest equipment advances in use include color sorters and stemremovers. Lally Farms has been in the blueberry


processing business since 1980, and during that time has gained an international reputation for producing high-quality blueberries for both the fresh and frozenmarket. Berries harvested for the freshmarket are all hand-picked,while those for the frozen market are allmachine-picked. OwnerRajinder Lally says hewas


looking for amachine thatwould freeze blueberries for the industrialmarket.He spent close to five years looking for one and finally found one built in Sweden. An IQF (InstantQuick Freeze) tunnel, it freezes blueberries instantly and then they are stored in totes at 29 degrees Celsius. This procedure preserves the quality and taste of the blueberry. “The tunnelwhich I bought is very


popular in Chile,” says Lally, “and cost $1.6million to acquire and install. Fraser ValleyRefrigeration did the installation. “The tunnel increases our ability to


processmore berries.We can now, at full capacity, process up to 10,000 pounds of blueberries each hour.” Themachine is powered by a 450- horsepower compressormanufactured


8 British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2014


GRANT ULLYOT


Swedish-built Instant Quick Freeze (IQF) tunnel at Lally Farms in Abbotsford.


in Japan. It compresses the ammonia that feeds the IQF tunnel. The new machine produces a very nice solid frozen berries that fill the shipping container,which is then loaded into refrigerated trucks and delivered to markets. Importers repack the berries into


poly-packs for sale to retailers. The demand for frozen IQF blueberries is very strong. “Importers love to buy the IQF berries,” says Lally. BerryHill Foods in Chilliwack and


AquilliniGolden Eagle farms in Pitt Meadows have both purchased two of the newIQF tunnels.


While themachines have improved


B.C.’s capability to process a frozen product, Lally Farms continues to focus on the freshmarket aswell. “I amstill packing fresh blueberries


and Iwant to continue to be known as a fresh blueberry packer. But nowany berries that do notmake the grade as a fresh berry I can IQF them,” stated Lally. “We pack nothing but the best quality


berries. Currently our trucks deliver these berries to cities across Canada and as far away as Florida. Each truck is loadedwith 30,000 pounds of berries.”


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