Site Planning & Layout
Installation, Commissioning & Operation
Automatic, Low Energy & Eco-friendly
Client Name: F***B
Country: French Republic
Region: Pays de la Loire – Northwest France’s premium leafy vegetable production area, core origin for baby leaves, spinach, lettuce, parsley
Core Products: Baby leaf salad, parsley, spinach, lettuce, arugula, kale, beet leaves, dandelion greens
Equipment Configuration: Hadof Customized Micro-nano Bubble + Ultrasonic + Vibratory Dewatering Combined Leafy Vegetable Washing Line (Compatible with Ice Water Preservation & MAP Pre-treatment)
Commissioning Time: Q3 2024
The Loire Valley in France is not only a famous wine region but also the home of Europe’s top leafy vegetables. Baby leaf salads, parsley and spinach produced here supply Michelin restaurants in Paris and high-end supermarkets in London. F***B Group is the largest organic leafy vegetable grower in the region, famous for its tender, crisp and fragrant products. However, with the strict upgrade of European microbial standards for ready-to-eat salads, traditional cleaning methods are facing fatal challenges:
Leaf Damage: Delicate leaves such as baby leaves and spinach are less than 0.2mm thick. Traditional spraying easily causes damage, and broken parts oxidize quickly and lose commercial value within one hour.
Hidden Insect Eggs: Deep wrinkles of parsley and kale hide insect eggs with high manual missed detection rate. A batch of lettuce was once rejected by British supermarkets due to eggs.
Microbial Exceedance Risk: France requires zero detection of E. coli in ready-to-eat vegetables. The microbial qualification rate is only 85% after traditional cleaning, facing recall risks at any time.
Moisture Residue Causing Rot: If surface moisture is not completely removed after cleaning, mold grows within 24 hours in packaging, with shelf life only 3 days.
The client's requirements were clear: zero leaf damage, zero insect eggs, zero detected microorganisms, and dry surface for direct packaging after cleaning.
After comparing equipment from Italy and Germany, the client chose our company. Our advantage lies in deep process adaptation for different leafy vegetables, not general-purpose machines.
Solution: 4 Customized Designs for European Delicate Leafy Vegetables
1. Micro-nano Bubble Cleaning, 0 Leaf Damage
0.05mm micro-nano bubbles generate gentle impact like silk, penetrating leaf wrinkles without damaging cells. Test shows 99.5% integrity of baby leaves, no redness in spinach.
2. Ultrasonic Cavitation + Vortex Separation, 100% Egg Removal
40kHz ultrasonic field shakes off eggs hidden in deep wrinkles. Vortex separator filters impurities instantly. Zero egg residue in EU official inspections for 1 year.
3. Ozone + UV Combined Sterilization, Zero Pathogen Detection
0.5ppm ozone in circulating water kills 99.99% microorganisms. 254nm UV tunnel provides secondary sterilization. French laboratory tests show zero E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, meeting infant raw food standards.
4. Flexible Pressing + Low-temperature Air Drying, Surface Moisture < 1%
Food-grade silicone pressing rollers with precise 0.1kg/cm2 pressure absorb water without hurting leaves. Low-temperature air drying (8℃, 3m/s) reduces moisture to <1% in 30 seconds, extending shelf life to 7 days.
5. AI Vision + Spectrum Detection, Full Automatic Screening
High-speed AI vision scans leaves at 1000 frames/sec, identifying eggs, yellow leaves and damage with 0.1mm2 precision. NIR spectrometer detects pesticide residues. Unqualified products are automatically rejected, ensuring 100% factory qualification rate.
After 1 year of operation, F***B Group has achieved remarkable transformation.
Capacity & Market Breakthrough
Daily capacity increased from 10 tons (manual) to 30 tons (automatic). On-time delivery rate rose from 70% to 99%.
Channel upgrade: Products entered 3-star Michelin restaurants such as Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris and Dinner by Heston London, with 80% higher price. 2024 exports to UK up 200%, becoming exclusive supplier for Waitrose.
Significant Economic Benefits
ROI: Labor reduced from 120 to 6 workers, saving over �3 million/year. Full investment recovered in < 18 months.
Loss reduction: Damage rate down from 12% to 0.5%, saving over �2 million/year; zero recall avoiding over �5 million loss.
Industry Benchmark
First leafy vegetable washing line in France certified by EU "Infant-grade Raw Vegetables". Won French Ministry of Agriculture "Agricultural Innovation Award", driving industrial upgrading in Loire Valley.
"Hadof's equipment makes us believe that the most delicate leaves can bear gentle industrialization. Now Michelin chefs in Paris say our baby leaves are 'freshly picked from morning dew and clean enough to eat directly'. This is the dignity of French vegetables."
—— Founder of F***B Group
