We are delighted to announce that JD Cooling Group has won the Environmental Collaboration Award at this year’s RAC Cooling Awards, alongside Softripe, Frigotec GmbH and Worldwide Fruit Limited for the UK’s first installation of the revolutionary Softripe ripening system.
Furthermore, JD Cooling were ‘Highly Commended’ within the World Refrigeration Cold Chain category for Softripe.
Judges commented, “The winners present a fine example of partnership between the refrigeration industry, technology specialists and the client. Judges liked the fact that the solution reduced energy usage while improving the end products’ quality, and reduced waste through reducing damage to the fruit – and the future for the UK fruit industry. We like the dedication of JD Cooling to provide full-service provision to their client under difficult circumstances.”
Softripe is a new ripening technology that uses controlled atmosphere conditions to ripen fruit without stress – monitoring its respiration and applying the exact, controlled atmosphere that the fruit requires to ripen to its optimum condition.
Softripe has reinvented a process, based on forced temperature changes and distribution that has not changed fundamentally for many years.
L-r: John Dye (Chairman, JD Cooling Group), Mark Everett (Business Unit Director, Worldwide Fruit), Ilona Stylinska (Softripe Manager, Worldwide Fruit), Neal Collishaw (Operations Director, Worldwide Fruit), James Tumber (Specialist Services & Ripening Director, JD Cooling Group).
Although JD Cooling previously evolved the technology with EC fans, glycol and heat recovery to ripen using waste heat from the cooling process, Softripe has enabled us to take a big step forward in ripening technology.
By combining lower temperatures with finite control of oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene, and adding in higher relative humidity and temperatures controlled according to exact needs to the fruit at each point within its ripening cycle, the overall result is less stress for the fruit and a ripening cycle of around 40 per cent shorter than the conventional process.
The RAC Cooling Awards, held virtually on Wednesday 5th December recognises the best of the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry.
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners, it truly shows how amazing the industry is – creating solutions all whilst working amidst unprecedented restrictions in 2020.
For more information about Softripe here, or contact us on 01553 767 446, or info@jdcooling.com.