“We get a lot of demand from Australia in particular for modern and low-energy ripening chambers. We know of a number of retailers who will be making this switch in the next few years. Because of this, we decided to invest in a local branch on the Australian market,” says Jan Kessel of BG Door International.

“In Australia, the banana production is in the north of the country, and pallets are transported per truck to big cities like Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in roughly three to five days. This results in a different situation than sea cargo that takes several weeks, but we have good solutions to this. We’ve installed ripening chambers in Martinique and India, where bananas are even ripened immediately after harvesting.”

“The Australians still have cold feet to some extent to try this new ripening technology. To remove these doubts, we’ve installed a complete Ecotop Turn testing chamber at our partner’s in Melbourne, so that supermarkets and ripening plants can experience the advantages of the system for themselves. Pallets of bananas, avocados or mangoes can even be ripened in these chambers. After all, practice is the best proof of the advantages of the system.”

“Because of the Australian safety requirements, a wicket gate is an absolute must in the ripening chamber door. To prevent the leakages that occur with regular wicket gates, this ripening chamber door has been equipped with a special, gas-proof wicket gate. This is a first on the market,” Jan concludes.