ENGIE at Chicory Biennial

Erik Hoogendoorn, Manager Process & Technology at ENGIE Refrigeration, answers that question during the Chicory Biennial 2018 on 28 and 29 September in Etten-Leur.

The Chicory Biennial is the bi-annual event for the chicory industry. The theme of the 24th edition of the event is ‘Chicory towards 2030’. What will the industry face in 2030? And which topics play an important role in this?

Presentation on mechanical cooling
On both days between 11.30 and 11.45 am, Erik Hoogendoorn gives a presentation on behalf of ENGIE on growing and storing sustainably with a considerably higher yield. Mechanical cooling enables to control the three elements that influence the chicory’s quality: temperature, air humidity, and air circulation. This way, chicory roots can be stored up to 10 to 12 months without any loss of quality.

A customers’ tale: Nature’s Gold
Recently, ENGIE realised a mechanical cooling system at chicory producer Nature’s Gold in Zundert. The cooling system creates optimal growing and storing conditions, uses residual heat, and runs on natural refrigerants. Gijs van Dongen, Director at Nature’s Gold, says: “During the storage process, I can manage the temperature, air humidity and air circulation. This is becoming increasingly important in the near future. After all, the quality of roots harvested varies all the time due to extreme weather conditions. Thanks to the optimal storage conditions in the cold stores, even the lesser quality roots will recover. This allows me to store all my chicory for one year, preserve its quality, and to grow beautiful chicories during the growing phase.

Information market in Zundert
As a visitor to the Chicory Bienniale, you can visit Nature’s Gold on Saturday 29 September after the symposium. Various companies will be present during the information market. The last couple of years, Nature’s Gold has increased its production from 2 million kilos a year to 4,2 million kilos a year. Come and take a look at the impressive growing and processing rooms. And discover the benefits of the new mechanical cooling.