Rivermaid invests in AI to skyrocket cherry capacity with outstanding quality consistency

"Although our expectations were high, the line did even better than expected. The 24-lane Elifab grader is running well over 20 tons per hour without any manual sorters"
Patrick Archibeque | CEO Rivermaid
As a cherry packer, you want the best of all worlds. Superior product consistency, maximum production capacity and the most efficient operation possible. As a leader in the cherry industry, Rivermaid Trading Company is constantly innovating to meet their customer’s demands and deliver the highest returns to their growers while reducing their operating costs. With the investment in a 24-lane Elifab cherry grading machine and the latest Ellips True-AI grading technology, Rivermaid has ensured a promising future for their growers, customers and their own operation.
Growth strategy with a powerful brand promise and collaborations
For Rivermaid, this AI-driven cherry grading machine represents more than just a new piece of equipment; it’s a key component in their strategy to grow their cherry business by enhancing the capabilities and flexibility of their packing operation. The increased efficiency and capacity allow them to expand production while maintaining their commitment to high-quality products. This approach aligns perfectly with Rivermaid's brand promise and strengthens their relationships with growers, retailers and consumers. Rivermaid’s success is a testament to the power of collaboration in the fruit industry.
Over the past few years, Rivermaid has faced the following challenges:
• California cherries, known for their complex color patterns and varying maturity levels, have long posed challenges for packers striving to maintain consistency and high throughput.
• The cherry market has very strict quality requirements that must be achieved. You need cutting-edge technology that can accurately capture the quality, size, firmness, brix and color of your cherries with an eye for the smallest details.
• The need to serve a variety of customers and markets. They demand different quality standards so you must have extreme flexibility to adapt your grading to meet their diverse needs.
• Maintaining a high production volume is crucial to stay in the business. Increasing capacity while reducing costs is our top priority for growth. You want to be able to process your cherries as quickly as possible to cut costs, save time and keep margins attractive.
• Despite varying growing and weather conditions which can impact quality, you must be able to deliver consistent quality to your customers. Ellips’ grading technology ensures that we can consistently deliver the high-quality cherries that our customers expect.
Every challenge has it’s solution.
Following are just some of the improvements that Rivermaid achieved:
✅ Increased throughput due to the faster processing speed. The 24-lane Elifab grader is running well over 20 tons per hour without any manual sorters
✅ Enhanced ability to react to dynamic customer demands while optimizing returns by ensuring that every cherry ends up in its rightful place
✅ Improved quality consistency with powerful AI defect detection of challenging defects, including black rot, fresh cracks, and stem area cracks
What were the main motivations for choosing Ellips|Elifab?
1. You can rely on AI. It kind of runs itself.
“Batch qualities vary, but customer demand remains consistently high. California cherries pose unique challenges with varying maturity and complex color patterns. Previously, extensive human grading hours were required to sort by quality and color. However, with the latest AI technology, we significantly reduced the labor needed to operate the machines. This advancement has also led to noticeable enhancements in the consistency and quality of our outgoing product.”
2. The Power of AI in detecting challenging defects
“Every cherry is unique. So is every defect. Internal and external defects occur in various forms. With so many ways defects can appear, only Ellips True-AI can accurately model all these combinations. It detects even the most challenging defects with precision, including black rot, fresh cracks, and stem area cracks. Additionally, it offers exceptional reliability in identifying stems, neighboring stems, and stem attachment points.”
3. Increase the pace with even faster processing speed
“Speed is everything, but never at the expense of our delicate cherries. The Elifab grader provides the highest throughput, delicate handling and ensures perfect singulation. This guarantees each cherry is optimally positioned for imaging, leading to more accurate grading. Another advantage of AI is the speed it brings to the grading process. AI technology significantly enhances our production line by increasing throughput.”