Berritum

In a business model based on shortening the supply chain between producer and recipient, consistent quality across every batch is paramount – the largest buyers do not tolerate quality deviations. This makes sorting a critically important stage of fruit packing, during which products that fail to meet requirements must be screened out.

Berritum’s previous blueberry sorting line at its packing facility relied on two separate machines: one analysed blueberry firmness using pressure sensors, while the other assessed colour. This setup created several problems. The firmness sensors produced imprecise results – the varying anatomical structure of the fruit (including crown size) meant that measurements were inconsistent and quality selection unrepeatable. Running fruit through two separate devices extended the line and increased the risk of mechanical damage. In addition, the two machines occupied a significant area of the facility floor.

In 2025, Milbor PMC delivered and implemented the MXM BN.2 optical sorter – a compact blueberry sorting machine that consolidates the entire sorting process in one place.

The Blueberry Sorter MXM BN.2 simultaneously evaluates colour, size and surface defects without physically loading the fruit – which eliminates the mechanical damage and bloom loss characteristic of sensor-based systems. Replacing two machines with a single device freed up floor space and made it possible to introduce an additional size-grading function that was unavailable in the previous setup due to space constraints.

Complaints fell below 1% – a direct result of higher sorting precision and the elimination of mechanical fruit damage.

Size-based sorting – an additional sorting option not previously available.

Greater product consistency – uniform assessment of quality parameters in a single pass instead of a two-stage process.

Facility floor optimisation – the MXM BN.2 sorter takes up 50% less space than the previous solution, giving the client extra square metres.