Special
Greenhouse vegetables
Tomato sorting line - Rollerstar
From Dutch pigsty to global sorting and packaging player Aweta has been around for 55 years. It was started when the founder decided to help Dutch vegetable farmers. They wanted their tomatoes and cucumbers sorted more accurately. This business has now grown into an international one that provides total sorting and packaging solutions.
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t may surprise you, but Aweta has offices in the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States. It also has a global dealer and service organization network. The company developed and built its first sorting machine in a former pigsty in the Dutch town of Nootdorp. "Adrianus Wilhelmus Tas (Aad) founder and namer of Aweta,” begins Norman van der Gaag, Aweta’s Sales Director. "He comes from a farming family. He wanted to help growers by making mechanical sorting of greenhouse vegetables possible. He started Aweta in 1966. His first mechanical sorting machine was the beginning of Aweta's success." Aad Tas Sr. predicted possibilities in simplifying production processes. In the years that followed, Aweta developed all kinds of sorting machines. They sorted greenhouse
vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers by weight. The company has developed tremendously over the past 55 years. "Camera techniques were introduced in the 70s. That made it possible to also sort by color and size. This resulted in an even more uniform product. Aweta expanded its production over time. It added machines for things like feeding, packing, and palletizing products. We went from just sorting to total fruit and vegetable sorting and packaging solutions. That includes software," Norman continues. THE WORLD LOOKS TO THE NETHERLANDS Aweta is active all over the world and has a broad network of partners. It has branches in Italy and the United States too. The com-
Cucumbers in an Aweta Qpack
pany offers total solutions for a wide range of fruit and vegetables. According to Norman, greenhouse vegetables still account for most of the business' revenues. “That's partly due to its head office’s location in the Westland, the Netherlands. Many leading greenhouse vegetable businesses are based here. There are constantAGF Primeur • Gewächshausgemüse • 2020
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