“Strawberry Fields Forever” – visitors will inevitably feel the meaning behind the surreal Beatles hit when they see the strawberry fields in southern Spain stretching out to the horizon. Fields like these supply the raw materials for products like those made and sold by food wholesaler SVZ International B. V.
By Dr. Bernhard Reichenbach
This 500-employee-strong company based in Breda/Netherlands supplies premium fruit and vegetable ingredients to food and beverage producers worldwide. Founded in 1867, SVZ has been part of the Dutch Royal-Cosun Group since 1986 and posted sales of around EUR 180 m in 2017.
Strawberry products make up a large part of the company’s red fruit portfolio. Various types of strawberries come from a network of carefully selected growers in the southern Spanish region of Huelva. They are processed soon into purees and concentrates close to where they are grown, then subsequently delivered to customers throughout Europe, including for the confectionery and bakery sector. The company’s product assortment also includes juice concentrates as well as premium not-from-concentrate (NFC) products.
The fruit and vegetables used to produce the SVZ products are grown in locations in the USA, Poland, Belgium, and Spain. “Sweets Processing” visited the production site in Almonte near Huelva along with various plantations that supply the raw materials like strawberries and blueberries.
SVZ has 60 to 70 certified suppliers in Spain alone who provide various qualities – including special ingredients for baby food. “Experts from SVZ work together with farmers on site during the entire growing season in order to consult on optimised cultivation and harvest methods and to ensure sustainably grown products at a consistently high quality level,” reports Sustainability Manager Jobien Laurijssen.
Besides maximised efficiency and quality, the entire operations process is focussed on sustainability in the production and supply chain management. “By the end of the year, we intend to reach 40 percent certified sustainable business, and we’re aiming for 100 percent by 2030,” emphasises Laurijssen.
After several years of growth and increasing demand, SVZ initiated a three-year investment programme in Almonte. As a result, the annual capacity should increase from 12,500 t to 20,000 t, and the assortment of products will be complemented by raspberries and blackberries, as well as vegetables like bell peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini.
The strawberries and other fruit and vegetables that arrive from the plantations at the factory in Almonte during the season between November and June must undergo thorough visual and metric quality controls. However, also fruit is processed that is unsuitable for the fresh market – perhaps due to its shape –, but meets all the requirements for further processing. “This avoids food waste,” notes Laurijssen.
The berries are then transported to various production lines and washed before they undergo yet another selection process. Following the initial production step of pureeing, the pre-pureed mass passes through two filtering and mixing steps in which leaves and seeds are removed. The mass is subsequently sterilised in a pasteuriser with a capacity of 10,000 l/h. The final product, puree in various quality levels and formats, is filled into sanitised barrels and transported to a cooling room for several hours before being shipped in refrigerated or frozen form.
