Total quality
The total quality process is a fundamental part of our strategic vision. It allows us to be independent and do not need collaborators during the whole process of planting, care, harvesting, processing and transport.
Management
Total quality requires with a company methodology in which all areas provide quality work interconnected among them.
We use this methodology throughout the process. Starting in the farm and on our own certified organic and carbon neutral farms, and continuing in our own processing facilities.
Characteristics of our total quality methodology:
- We offer a 360 solution.
- We maintain high standards of quality..
- We pursue innovation by promoting new actions, technologies and sustainable solutions for the benefit of the organization.
- We focus on customers and improving people's experience..
- We pursue innovation by promoting new actions, measures and technologies for the benefit of the organization..
- We promote the cooperation of all people regardless of position..
Certificates
These quality and environmental certifications allow us to meet the highest standards of quality and sustainability ensuring that all our products reach the consumer with superior, consistent, and stable quality.
Organic farming:
Organic certification is endorsed by the European Parliament through Regulation R (EU) 2018/848. To obtain this certificate, we must meet a set of production standards throughout the growing, processing, packaging, storage and distribution process. This EU Ecolabel provides a consistent visual identity that makes it easier for consumers to identify organic products.
Integrated agriculture:
Agricultural certification that aims to conserve the environment with a series of rules to rationalize the use of the productive environment; soil, water, fertilizers and pesticides to prioritize the use of environmentally friendly techniques. This certification covers products and their production, as well as transport, receipt, storage and processing.
Global GAP:
The world's leading standard for safe and sustainable agriculture.
Global GAP Spring:
The ̈Spring ̈ certification is an additional module dedicated to the use of water. It endorses the legality of water supply sources by confirming that they are used responsibly and sustainably.
Grasp:
Sustainability does not only refer to environmental protection, but also to the care of the social side, and the people. Respecting the rights of workers and putting in place measures to protect safety and health is an essential aspect for Cool farms. This gives rise to the GRASP certificate, which assesses the risks of the social practices of agri-food production and farms and whose ultimate aim is to guarantee social well-being.
IFS food:
International certification of quality and food safety that focuses on the production processes, good practices of handling, processing, packaging and labelling, distribution and storage of food.
BRC Food:
Internationally recognized quality and food safety certification that provides quality standards related to fruit, packaging, storage and distribution. It is the most important international food safety standard in the food industry. The requirements and controls we have to comply with promote product quality management by detecting food safety hazards.
Continuos improvement
We have a responsibility to transform the fruit business towards transparency, traceability and origin control, creating value across the entire supply chain.
Here is our model of continuous improvement and total quality in kiwi:
We only work our own farms in Spain and Portugal, and some selected farms of integrated farmers.
PRUNING: We carry out a check at the time of pruning. Winter pruning and summer pruning are very important agronomic operations during the growing cycle.
WATER HUMIDITY: Optimum growth and quality production require conditions of high atmospheric humidity, abundant water and relatively low radiation. We use an application-specific plant irrigation system to maintain optimum moisture near the top and in the soil with residue-free treatments.
POLLINATION: Pollination is the starting point for obtaining an excellent product in size, shape and with superior organoleptic quality.
THINNING: The thinning operation allows us to select the best fruits and obtain the desired number depending on the planting frame.
HARVESTING: Optimal quality verification for harvesting: Harvesting is one of the critical elements and we need to start with very clear parameters (temperature, rain, wind, degrees, hardness, dry matter) that allow us to obtain the desired fruit with the attributes of Cool Fruits total quality. During harvesting, we use various control measures, time, quantity, quality and hygiene to obtain and store data from each farm.
Shipment control: We carry out the shipment in covered trucks at room temperature and generate weight controls of truck, and fruit at exit and arrival of the fruit.
Control at the processing facilities:
The process of receiving and storing data is very rigorous in terms of methodology and data acquisition in order to be able to associate it with the farm data and deliver a complete analysis in the production management software.
After a pre-sizing and initial destruction by manual selection, the fruit is brushed to remove the hair, and then the fruit is separated by weight, size and shape, using an optical sensor.
Storage is carried out in two stages, maintaining the cold chain (PE-13) and the supply specifications (PE-07) all while verifying the general hygiene, cleaning and disinfection plans.
The ripening process allows us to achieve the desired characteristics of the fruit. We only send fruit that meets the established parameters for ripening.
Packaging control includes a quality control of the fruit and packaging to check that it meets total quality requirements in terms of quality and traceability.
Only fruit prepared and approved by the quality department can be placed in the dispatch area, all are identified with their production management label to ensure their traceability.
Only fruit prepared and approved by the quality department can be placed in the dispatch area, all are identified with their production management label to ensure their traceability.
We track the shipment and the documents of each order are stored in our total quality management system.
Quality control in store: We verify the condition of the fruit at the point of sale, as well as its appearance and disposition.
Stable quality
Our total quality methodology allows us to increase the quality of our kiwis and blueberries in the farm, ensuring traceability from the source to the point of sale, with a vertical, real, and honest integration. This way, we ensure ensuring that all our products reach the consumer with a superior, consistent, and stable quality.
