How a Washington blueberry co-packer removed its pre-cooling bottleneck with a blast chiller

A blueberry grower and co-packer in Yakima, WA, USA could not process more fruit, and blueberry pre-cooling was the reason. ZGROUP connected a Blast Chiller 2XL and a ZSTORE 5XL storage unit directly to the building, so cooling capacity now keeps pace with the packing line.

The challenge

In a blueberry operation, the packing line can only move as fast as the fruit can be cooled. For this grower and co-packer, pre-cooling was the bottleneck: the packing line had room to process more fruit, but cooling capacity did not.

Adding capacity also meant finding a place for cooled fruit to go. Pre-cooling and cold storage had to work together, next to the existing building.

The solution

ZGROUP delivered two units, both connected directly to the building:

• A Blast Chiller 2XL for pre-cooling, bringing blueberries down in under 2 hours.
• A ZSTORE 5XL cold storage unit with 1,600 ft² of floor space to hold cooled fruit.

Because both units attach to the building, fruit moves from packing to cooling to storage without extra handling. The units are modular, with Thermo King refrigeration and no permanent construction.

The results

• < 2 h blueberry pre-cooling
• 1,600 ft² of cold storage
• Bottleneck removed

Cooling capacity now keeps pace with the packing line.

How to size blueberry pre-cooling

Blueberry pre-cooling and cold storage do different jobs. Pre-cooling pulls field heat out fast; storage holds the fruit at temperature until it ships. When one is undersized, it limits everything around it, including the packing line.

A simple way to think about sizing:

1. Start from the packing line. Cooling capacity should keep pace with what the line can pack.
2. Size pre-cooling in batches. A 10-pallet ZGROUP pre-cooling unit brings berries down in less than 2 hours.
3. Size storage for what waits. Each ZSTORE XL module adds 320 ft² and about 20 pallet positions, and modules connect side by side into one open walk-in.
4. Connect it. Attaching units to the building keeps fruit moving without extra handling.

Units are delivered in under 60 days and installed in 2 to 5 days with no civil works. Humidity control from 50% to 95% RH is available, ZTRACK reports temperature and alarms remotely, and every unit is available to rent or to buy with a 5-year warranty.

Signs pre-cooling is your bottleneck

• The packing line could run more fruit, but cooled fruit is not ready in time.
• Harvested berries wait for a spot in the pre-cooler.
• Cooled fruit has nowhere to go because storage is full.

Why connect units to the building

Every extra move between packing, cooling and storage adds time and handling. Connecting pre-cooling and storage directly to the existing building keeps the path short, so added capacity turns into added throughput instead of more forklift trips.

Rent, buy, or both

Blueberry pre-cooling is seasonal, while cold storage may be needed longer. ZGROUP offers every unit to rent or to buy, so an operation can match each piece to how it is used. Modular units can also be moved and reinstalled at another site if the packing operation relocates or expands.

Blast chillers and pre-cooling in the Pacific Northwest

Berries leave the field warm, and every hour before cooling costs quality. A ZGROUP Blast Chiller is a containerized forced-air tunnel: the 2XL cools 10 pallets per batch with 204,725 BTU/h, and blueberries reach temperature in about 2 hours, versus 8 to 12 hours in a conventional cold room.

In Oregon, a blueberry grower in Roseburg rents a 10-pallet pre-cooling unit every season to cool berries on the farm before they travel to the packer.

See the pre-cooling blast chiller and our projects in Oregon and Washington.

Is it right for your operation?

If your packing line could run more fruit than your cooling can handle, adding modular pre-cooling and storage next to the building can remove the bottleneck. See the Pre-cooling tunnel and ZSTORE XL modular cold storage, or talk to our team about your volumes.