AGF IQF TUNNEL DRIVES SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTION INCREASES AND ENSURES CONSISTENT QUALITY FOR RIO FUTURO
“Since implementing the AGF tunnel, we’ve seen a significant increase in our daily capacity. The tunnel is incredibly energy efficient, consuming much less power compared to other options we considered. AGF's after sales service has been excellent, with their team staying in constant contact with us to ensure everything runs smoothly. The installation was fast, handled by a highly professional and experienced team. We’ve also noticed much shorter defrost times, and the stainless-steel structure makes cleaning quick and thorough in every corner.”
Claudio Tapia Sáez, Plant Manager, Rio Futuro
Rio Futuro initially used static freezers. While functional, these freezers had limitations in terms of efficiency and quality, especially when it came to increasing production to meet market demand.
A major issue was inconsistent product quality. Placed in plastic crates/totes on pallets, the freezing process is slow since it's not an inline production process, requiring more time to freeze the fruit, affecting overall texture and quality of the blueberries.
The Challenges
Rio Futuro chose AGF Freezers due to the company's proven expertise in fruit freezing, particularly in high seasonal demand environments like Chile. AGF's experience in providing customized solutions for fruit processing helped Rio Futuro trust that they would meet their production needs and improve product quality, achieving a finished product in the shortest time possible.
AGF provided an IQF freezing tunnel specifically designed to handle the high volume of blueberries. This solution ensured:
Continuous freezing
The ability to freeze the entire season's production without downtime, a key factor for Rio Futuro.Process consistency
By optimizing the freezing process, AGF enabled Rio Futuro to achieve uniform quality across all batches.Reduced processing costs
The use of a continuous tunnel tripled daily freezing capacity.
The Solutions
Rio Futuro achieved a freezing capacity of 3,000 kg/h, allowing them to process approximately 1,500 tons of blueberries in the first season over a 2-month period. This significant increase in production surpassed their previous capacity with static freezers.
While experiencing limitations due to Rio Futuro's current refrigeration infrastructure (evaporation temperature is limited to -32°C), AGF is working closely with Rio Futuro to increase their refrigeration capacity, optimize its freezing potential, and increase production and efficiency.
Looking ahead, Rio Futuro is committed to continuing its partnership with AGF Freezers with the installation of a second and third IQF freezing tunnel as part of their master plan. This expansion will allow them to scale their operations further and strengthen their position in the frozen fruit market.