The careful handling of raw goods alongside adherence to top-quality standards have long been priorities at VOG Products – established back in 1967, and today processing and refining around 300,000 tonnes of raw fruit per annum in the heart of the Dolomite Alps. To continue upholding such standards in future, the company has made significant investments in the modernisation of purée production lines.

  

In March 2020, two new production lines for fruit purée were commissioned on the eight-hectare company premises in Laives – situated in South Tyrol, northern Italy. The new lines represent a significant portion of VOG Products’ concrete modernisation and development plan.

Evolution towards automation

 

A fully automated plant for aseptic filling marked the beginning of the modernisation project back in 2019. That represented a key step in VOG’s effort to satisfy rising demand and at the same time, to bring the infrastructure up to date with the latest technology.

 

In September 2019, a new optical sorting system was installed in the low-temperature area, as the firm strove to guarantee maximum precision and quality to customers and ultimately, consumers.

 

The purée production modernisation completed in 2020 is arguably the centrepiece of VOG’s extensive investment strategy, although is not its final measure: by the beginning of 2021, the production line for fruit juice will also have been renewed. “That will mark our achievement of the fourth and last step of our current infrastructure modernisation strategy,” advised Christoph Tappeiner, CEO of VOG Products. “Innovation and advanced development are, and will remain, major themes at VOG Products however, because they are essential to our effort to continue satisfying the market’s increasingly rigorous requirements in future while meeting top quality standards.”

A boost to capacity and quality

The commissioning of the two production lines for fruit purée was a key step in that direction. It increased the company’s capacity and VOG Products now has two separate lines, which happens also to be a decisive characteristic for product safety in the processing of organic goods. And today, raw goods are inspected by the optical sorting system to guarantee the highest quality standards in the purée segment as well.

 

Furthermore, raw goods are not handled in bulk at VOG Products. Instead, large boxes with a maximum mass of 300kg are used exclusively. “After all, you need excellent raw goods to produce an excellent end product,” remarked Mr Tappeiner. “Our 13,000 members – most of which are small family-run enterprises – ensure our excellent quality. They cultivate fruit with lots of passion, and we continue the processing of it in the same spirit: as much care as possible when handling the product, and top quality standards – these are our main priorities. Our new, functional plants equipped with state-of-the-art technology fit perfectly into this philosophy,” he confirmed.