Reception of raw material – Control – Sorting – Washing - Stone removal

Upon arrival, the potatoes go first to the Quality Control department for inspection. From there they will get calibrated and sorted into the required quality and size for each specific type of product (fries, chips, specialties). Finally, foreign stones are removed through a water rinsing procedure.

1. Peeling – Washing – Sorting

The potatoes are brush peeled while being washed in water. The discarded potato skins are used for livestock feed. The next phase is manual sorting, which consists of inspecting the peeled potatoes to remove subcutaneous defects or any foreign bodies. Damaged potatoes and/or suspect objects are removed manually or expelled using compressed air.

2. Cutting – calibrating

The potatoes are either cut into shape for fries using canon cutters (powerful pumps that force the potatoes at high speed through a grille in which the mesh size can be varied according to the thickness required), or sliced or diced using rotating cutters.

After this, they are submitted through a rinsing process to remove excess starch while at the same time, calibrated by thickness and length: fries of the incorrect thickness or length are removed. These are redirected so as to be used as an ingredient in the production of flakes.

3. Sorting

The fries and the sliced or diced potatoes are inspected again by operators who remove blemishes (black spots). The faulty product is immediately ejected using compressed air.

4. Blanching

Blanching is carried out under a 3 minute hot water rinsing procedure to stop oxidation to occur. This procedure will ensure the following: • Deactivate the enzymes; • Modify the structure by partially gelling the starch; • Standardize the color by extracting sugar content

5. Drying - Homogenization

The potatoes are then dried in a flow of hot dry air in order to limit fat absorption and make the product crispier. The subsequent rest period is designed to homogenize consistency and remove the remaining moisture from the product.

6. Coating and flavoring (Optional Add-on)

This phase is optional: the cut potatoes are immersed in a solution of spiced or flavored starch to produce items like Spicy Wedges or coated French fries.

1. Peeling – Washing – Sorting

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place.

7. Final inspection - Final calibration - Weighing

Before being packaged, the product is checked and calibrated one last time to ensure that it conforms to specifications. It is then weighed prior to packaging.

8. Packaging

Packaging is automated. The fries are placed into polyethylene bags and sealed under vacuum. Once sealed, they’re automatically placed in recyclable cardboard boxes. Each line is capable of packing the whole range of weights (from 1000gr to 2.500gg) and is equipped with: • A built-in scale. • An automatic bagging machine. • A metal detector. • A device for detecting poorly sealed bags. • An automatic boxing system. • A weight checker (bags and boxes) • An HD inkjet marker.

9. Palletization – Hooping – Labelling

The pallets are then formed, hooped and labelled, so that they can be easily identified.

10. Storage

The pallets of finished products are kept in cold stores at a temperature of 2 to 5°C. The entire manufacturing process takes place in an contained processing and packaging location confirming to all international manufacturing standards