The economic crisis that has hit the country during recent years has led to a shift away from the consumption of more expensive food items such as meat to other products which are not only cheaper, but also provide a balanced and healthy nutritional intake.
More specifically, there has been a growth in demand for pulses, leading to a significant increase in the amount of land in Italy cultivated for this purpose.
It is in this context that Conserve Italia has chosen Cimbria to create a new legume processing plant that can transform the harvested produce into a finished product that is ready to be cooked and served on consumers’ tables.
Conserve Italia is one of the most important food and agriculture industry groups in Europe. With 48 cooperatives accounting for 14,500 associated farmers, and well-known brands sold directly to large retailers, the group has an annual turnover well into a billion Euros, shared between fruit preserves, vegetable products and pulses.
The new Cimbria plant has been installed at Conserve Italia’s industrial site in Ravarino in the province of Modena and is set to process chickpeas, lentils and cannellini beans. The new plant’s cycle begins with a receiving hopper, where the unprocessed crop is unloaded and then conveyed to a Delta pre-cleaner to be stored in large bags or bins while awaiting the fine cleaning process.
Fine cleaning uses the following machines:
- Delta 104 Fine Cleaner
- TS 180S Destoner with recirculation GA 110 Gravity table
- Delta 126 Grader
- SEA CHROME 4 T+T Electronic Colour Sorter
The conveying equipment is made up of Pendulum bucket Elevators, Low-speed Bucket Elevators (EC8), GT 400 Belts. Rejects are sent to special bins by means of screw conveyors.
The plant has two bag filters to draw off all the dust from the supporting frames and the electronic control and command panel.
The design, assembly, start-up and commissioning of the plant were all performed by Cimbria Italia. The plant has achieved new heights - in particular it now also includes a SEA Colour Sorter - thus consolidating Cimbria’s esteemed position as a leading company in Italy’s seed industry.
