Interko Advances Flagship Ripening Room

Interko, the global leader for the design, manufacture and installation of state-of-the-art fresh fruit ripening rooms, is announcing important advances that reconfirm its flagship ripening room’s position as the world’s most energy-efficient ripening solution, and open up the technology to the pre-cooling market.

The innovative engineering team at Interko has cut the energy consumption of its Ultimo rooms by a further 20 per cent, after launching the second generation of its revolutionary Reverso reversible fans, which are exclusive to Interko.

Added to that, Ultimo’s design and technology has been cleverly adapted to enable the room to be used for pre-cooling fruit.

Further exciting improvements will be made this year in line with Interko’s mission to offer the world the most advanced high-quality, low-cost fruit ripening technology.

In the meantime, any interested companies can book a free consultation with Interko either in person, remotely or during Fruit Logistica 2024.

Chris Maat, Interko’s Managing Director/Partner, explains:

“Energy efficiency remains a number one goal for fruit ripeners given the ongoing pressure on global energy prices. In response, we have re-engineered our Reverso fan technology, so these fans use even less electricity than before. This reduces daily running costs by 20 per cent, as reported by our customers and confirmed by third-party testing.”

Maat continues:

“Also, our upgraded Reverso fans can now automatically detect reduced loads of fruit within the ripening room. This means that individual fans can be switched off, and, crucially, this will not impact on the airflow to the remaining boxes of fruit. In short, ripeners now have more flexibility and even lower energy consumption which will help to reduce bills considerably.”

Maat adds:

“What’s more, our world-class engineers have cleverly adapted Ultimo’s technologies to open this room to an entirely new market – for pre-cooling fruits including bananas, avocados, mangoes, and citrus. And thanks to our energy-saving fans, our rooms offer much more efficiency and better fruit quality compared with other pre-cooling systems available.”

Why Ultimo is different

Ultimo has long been the world’s number one ripening solution for bananas, avocados, and mangoes. In the past 12 months, Interko has sold a large number of Ultimo rooms worldwide, and already this year’s orders are coming in fast for the durable, flexible system.

This is because Ultimo remains the world’s most energy-efficient ripening system. The key differentiator is its unique airflow which ripens large volumes of fruit to the same desired level of maturity. The room can be installed as a single, double, or triple-tier format, and accommodate various pallet sizes, making Ultimo ideal for small to large operators anywhere in the world.

Maat explains:

“Ultimo’s unique design, with one Reverso fan per pair of pallets, creates an equal flow of air moving laterally, rather than longitudinally, across the room. This ensures that all fruit is ripened evenly throughout the room and that the air loss is minimal. Having less free air within the room helps to control the ripening environment and to reduce the energy consumption.”

Maat continues:

“Talking to our customers, like Fyffes, they cannot see any other ripening room that beats Ultimo. 99% of our competitors use a longitudinal airflow in their ripening rooms which makes a significant difference in performance. Ultimo is fundamentally different, which is why it is more effective at ripening, results in better fruit quality, and lower energy bills.”

Free consultations / Fruit Logistica 2024

Interko is offering complimentary consultations to anyone interested in ripening, pre-cooling or de-greening fruit in the most energy-efficient way and at minimal cost.

Meetings can take place on site, remotely, or at Fruit Logistica 2024 on 7-9 February 2024. Interko will exhibit in the usual spot of Hall 1.2, Stand D-40.

Chris Maat (Managing Director/Partner), Anna Zegveld (Sales Director), and Narcís Guinart (Project Manager) will be present at the annual trade show Berlin.

On the stand, they will be joined by Greg Akins (President & CEO), and Steve Page (Vice-President & COO) of Catalytic Generators, a US-based supplier of ethylene products for ripening and de-greening.

About Interko

Interko is the global leader for the design, manufacture, and installation of cost-effective, high-quality, and low-maintenance ripening rooms for fresh fruit, and cooling systems for the horticulture sector. Founded over 50 years ago in the Netherlands, Interko develops precise, advanced, and energy-efficient systems that are built to last. Since its creation, Interko has installed over 7,000 ripening rooms for bananas, avocados, mangoes, papayas, and tomatoes – the earliest of which are still in operation and performing well today. Every year Interko installs around 200 ripening rooms.

For more information, visit: www.interko.com