Surprisingly fun
New step in cherry cultivation: preparation and centralization at the Cherry Centre in Sint-Truiden
Although the new cherry season is still a while away, preparations at BelOrta are in full swing. New this year is the centralization of the entire cherry operation in the brand-new Cherry Center in Sint-Truiden. From now on, a large part of BelOrta's cherries will be purchased, sorted, packaged, and sold centrally from there, which is a big step towards greater efficiency, sustainability, and cooperation in the sector.
Centralisation brings optimisation
With the new season ahead, the cherry sorting activities from Borgloon and Sint-Truiden have recently been brought together at the new Cherry Centre in Sint-Truiden. For the first time, all sorting now takes place in one location, bringing with it many opportunities for optimisation.
Transport, for example, becomes much more efficient: cherries no longer need to be moved between sites, full pallets can be prepared straight away for delivery, and buyers can collect their orders from a single location. That means fewer journeys, lower CO₂ emissions, and a more sustainable logistics process.
Investing in technology and quality
Just like in Borgloon, the new centre will also make use of additional technologies.
All centrally sorted cherries now go through hydro-cooling: a system where freshly picked cherries are immediately cooled with ice-cold water. This rapidly brings down the fruit temperature, making the cherries less vulnerable during sorting and extending both shelf life and display life — by up to 10 extra days.
This opens up new possibilities for longer storage and for export to new markets. In Borgloon, a hydro-cooling installation will also remain available, allowing growers in the area to have their cherries cooled before transporting them to the sorting centre.
The Cherry Centre is also equipped with a case erector for automatically assembling packaging. This speeds up the packing process and ensures a more consistent result, further improving efficiency from grower to customer.
“By bringing all activities together at the Cherry Centre, we can work more efficiently and safeguard the quality of our cherries even better,” says BelOrta. “The central approach also makes it easier to deploy people and resources effectively.”