Every day, the company Gartenfrisch Jung GmbH processes large amounts of raw produce to create high-quality convenience products. For many years, KRONEN machines have been helping it ensure efficient processes and high quality when processing fruit, vegetables, and salad leaves.
The traditional company from the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg has been working with KRONEN for more than two decades. Nowadays, it uses a multitude of KRONEN machines, including the GS 10-2 belt cutting machine, the HEWA 3800 B washing machine, the AS 4 apple peeling machine, the KSB cabbage corer, and the CAP cabbage cutting machine for cabbage processing, as well as various conveyor belts and smaller cutting solutions. These machines all support the efficient processing of fruit, vegetables, and salad leaves for a wide range of ready-to-eat products.
HEWA washing machine from a research project successfully in constant use
Gartenfrisch Jung was also an active partner in the SPLASH research project, in which it worked together with KRONEN, the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB Potsdam), and the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Research and Technology (INP Greifswald) to develop an innovative washing process using plasma-treated water. In fact, the efficacy tests were conducted directly in the company’s industrial setting.
After completion of the test phase, Gartenfrisch Jung incorporated the newly developed HEWA washing machine into its production facility. Since 2023, the machine has been used in the company’s regular operations on a daily basis, helping ensure optimal hygiene and reduced cleaning times thanks to its hygienic design and simple dismantlement.
The HEWA washing machine and the upstream trimming table are mainly used for processing baby leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and arugula (rocket). The trimming table was specifically adapted to meet the company’s requirements when processing raw produce and is equipped with an infeed belt and a discharge conveyor that transports the salad leaves to the HEWA washing machine. The HELICAL washing system of the HEWA machine then fully rinses the delicate produce to wash it both gently and thoroughly.
High flexibility when cutting: from beet to chives to zucchini
Alongside specialized solutions for apple and cabbage processing, the versatile GS 10-2 belt cutting machine is also used every shift to cut an extremely wide variety of products such as cucumber, radish, cabbage turnips (kohlrabi), zucchini, beet, chives, parsley, and onions. For the frequent product changes, the hygienic design of the machine enables staff to rapidly clean it and change its knife without any tools, thus adapting it to suit the next product to be processed.
Quality and local produce as success factors
Over the course of its 200 years of corporate history, Gartenfrisch Jung has developed to become a pioneer of the fresh-cut industry. During the season, the company mainly processes raw produce from its own regional cultivation or from contract growers, placing high value on freshness, quality, and sustainable processes.
As one of the leading providers of fresh convenience products with daily deliveries to customers throughout Germany, Gartenfrisch Jung focuses on efficiency and constant high processing quality when preparing, washing, and cutting produce. The KRONEN machines used by the company have been covering these requirements for many years and ensure the production of high-quality fresh products, from bowls and ready-to-eat salad bowls right through to foodtainers (containers full of various cut vegetables). As a result, Gartenfrisch Jung is able to successfully serve the dynamic and demanding fresh-cut market in Germany.
