VIP Val Venosta addresses this need by combining agricultural expertise with targeted investments in sorting technologies, automation and advanced storage systems. This strategy allows VIP to focus on its primary objective: maintaining the outstanding quality produced by its growers and demonstrating how innovation can keep that quality high throughout the year.
The cooperative model as a guarantee of efficiency and sustainability
VIP’s producer cooperatives operate as an integrated technology network across Val Venosta, sharing processes and standards to provide commercial customers with a high-level service. In recent years, facilities have been gradually modernised to enhance DCA, ILOS, ULO and CA storage technologies, which are essential for maintaining consistent product quality.
Major investments in automation and gentle packing systems now allow around 90% of apples to be handled through automated systems. Each order is digitally checked before dispatch and subsequently distributed.
This approach ensures that technological precision remains at the service of the territory, enhancing the work of growers while meeting the demands of the most exacting international markets.
Smart stock management and freshness preservation
Graded fruit is processed in high-bay automated warehouses following the FIFO principle, First In, First Out. The use of dynamic controlled atmosphere storage (DCA) and advanced sensors helps maintain optimal quality while reducing energy consumption.
Peter Stricker, VIP’s production manager, explains: “Pinova, Cosmic Crisp® and Golden Delicious are suitable for long-term storage. For these varieties, we pay particular attention to freshness in order to guarantee high quality even during the coming summer months.”
This strategy ensures a smooth transition between seasons, confirming the reliability of VIP’s service for its commercial customers. Another important innovation is the use of hot-water showers for varieties such as Pinova, which are susceptible to gloeosporium, helping to ensure safe and sustainable storage.
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Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for premium sorting
Artificial intelligence plays a key role in refining sorting lines, making apple quality classification objective, precise and reliable. Inside special cabins, each apple is photographed up to 60 times in just a few seconds to analyse size, colour and quality.
For packing, VIP has adopted advanced robotic solutions that use robotic arms to orient and position the fruit according to colour and stem direction. These are complemented by other machines equipped with multi-head arms operating on two sides simultaneously, reaching a capacity of 320 fruits per minute.
VIP has also introduced driverless forklifts in its facilities. These innovations not only reduce workload, but also significantly increase the flexibility needed to respond to different market requirements.
Peter Stricker concludes: “Our latest innovations include machine learning-based sorting techniques to detect defects quickly and accurately, with the aim of keeping intact, throughout the year, the excellent quality produced by our growers.”
