Growing berries at scale in South Africa requires a deep understanding of timing. For Sunnyside Berry Farm, a business with a 30-year history, the process is built on a specific cycle of cold storage and rapid growth.
The process starts with the young plants, which need a period of rest before they are put into the ground. To manage this, Sunnyside keeps the plants at a constant 4°C. This temperature keeps them healthy but dormant, allowing the farm to control exactly when the next growing cycle begins.
The Almar refrigerated container has been a part of Sunnyside Berry Farm’s infrastructure for many years. Stationed on-site, this reefer provides the steady environment needed to hold these plants in their dormant state.
By using the unit for on-site cold storage, the team at Sunnyside can bypass unpredictable outdoor temperatures and ensure their planting schedule stays on track.
Once the plants are moved from the 4°C cold storage and into the tunnels, the growth is rapid.
Because they have been well-preserved during their dormant phase, they are ready to produce almost immediately. It takes approximately six weeks from the day they are planted to the day the first berries are ready to be picked.
When the six-week mark is reached, the focus shifts to the harvest. Because berries are incredibly delicate, each one is hand-picked at peak ripeness. Once picked, the berries are moved to the packing shed where they are carefully sorted and inspected to ensure only the best produce makes it to the final consumer.
Once the berries have been blast frozen, they are moved into the Almar Refrigerated Container set to -20°C, to maintain a frozen state.
The unit acts as a dedicated holding point, maintaining this critical frozen temperature until the transport trucks arrive for collection. This ensures that the product remains in peak condition from the farm to the freezer.
Beyond just maintaining the temperature, having the Almar reefer container on-site has made a huge difference to the daily workflow at Sunnyside. The unit is positioned to make the transition from storage to the collection trucks as quick as possible, which cuts down on manual handling and saves the team a lot of time.
Because this unit is on lease from Almar, the farm doesn't have to worry about the technical upkeep. Almar handles the servicing and maintenance as part of the agreement. In a high-stakes industry where equipment uptime is everything, the team can focus on their business knowing that our support is just a phone call away if they ever need us.
An agricultural business doesn't last 30 years without reliable equipment and dependable partners. While the Almar reefer sits quietly in the background, it has become a fixture for Sunnyside. It is a functional, long-term partnership that helps one of the region’s most established berry growers maintain their harvest cycle and operational efficiency, season after season.
If you would like to taste the results of Sunnyside Berry Farm’s 30 years of expertise, you can visit the farm directly in Colenso, Estcourt, KZN.
Or give them a call – 036 422 2376
