OUR ASPARAGUS
GROWING
Asparagus is a deciduous perennial plant which grows back each year from a root mass called a crown. It takes three years from planting the seed before a small harvest occurs. It is not until year four or five of the growth cycle when commercial quantities are harvested.
A well-managed asparagus crop will continually produce, season after season, for at least 10 years.
HARVESTING
During the growing season, in warm conditions, single spears of asparagus can grow up to 2cm per hour! Each spear is harvested by hand with a long-handled asparagus knife at or below the soil surface. The cutter threads the cut spears between his fingers to ensure the delicate heads are protected, and places them to the side of the soil bed.
The spears are then packed into crates and transported to the pack-house.
To maximise freshness, we harvest mostly in the cool of the night or early morning.
PACKING
In the pack-house, the spears are washed, graded and bunched or packed loose into boxes destined for the domestic or export market. Grading is carried out using a state-of-the-art automated optical grading system that measures each individual spear for diameter and colour to ensure consistency. After this, the asparagus is hydro-cooled to 2 degrees and immediately placed in cool storage. We strictly maintain our cold chain process to ensure premium quality and extend shelf life.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
At Raffa Fields, we are committed to supplying safe, high quality produce to our customers. Our dedicated in-house Quality and Compliance Team are on the ground every day, ensuring we comply with strict quality and hygiene specifications. We strive to not only meet, but exceed these standards, and have implemented a number of internationally recognised food safety and quality assurance systems, and hold full GlobalGAP and HARPS accreditation.
