JJB Family Farms grows, packs, and ships a wide variety of agricultural products on the American West Coast. Derrell Kelso manages the onion branch. Like many farmers, he struggles with finding the right people for manual labor. “We want to offer our clients the best quality possible, so I knew we needed to invest in technology,” says Kelso. He first heard about Eqraft through one of his own clients. “I quickly noticed the Eqraft team take their job very seriously; they were genuinely interested in our business.”
Reducing manual labor
The first machines purchased were an Evenflow, a combination scale and a Baxmatic. “They’re well-made and most importantly, they run.” His latest addition is an onion topping line that automatically cleans up the onions and trims the roots. “This is the only machine out there that can get great results without manual labor.” Kelso is happy with the service he is receiving. “If something doesn’t work exactly like it should, Eqraft takes it very personally and solves the problem as soon as possible.”
Fully automated onion shed
Right now, JJB Family Farms and Eqraft are planning to build a fully automated onion grading and packing shed. Kelso is excited to teach his employees about this new technology. “We’ll have fewer people working for us and they’ll do a higher-level, better paid and more pleasant job.” JJB has noticed an increased interest in small packages since COVID-19. “The new line will be able to handle many types of packaging efficiently and quickly.”
For more information:
Rutger Keurhorst
Eqraft
Tel: +31 527 256 130
info@eqraft.com
www.eqraft.nl