When it no longer manages to grow carrots of the same quality as other years, mts. Koenraadt from Espel decides to change tack. Joris Koenraadt explains: ‘We didn’t know exactly what caused the quality to fall short, but decided to look for another crop and ended up with sweet potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Since 2018, we have been growing sweet potatoes alongside seed potatoes, onions, wheat and beets. The acreage of sweet potatoes has now grown to nearly 30 acres.’

Clean without damage

A new crop requires new machinery. ‘Sweet potatoes we can’t compare with the crops we did until now. We converted a potato harvester to harvest sweet potatoes, but otherwise we needed a completely new machinery. We even built a new shed for washing and storage.’ At first they outsource the washing, but they are not really satisfied with the results. Besides, it creates extra transport movements. Via Google, the ‘Polderjongens,’ as the sweet potatoes branch is now called, find MCR Machinery in Marknesse. ‘At MCR Machinery there is a test set-up of a washing line with the Undine washing technique. We washed sweet potatoes with it and were amazed that they got so clean without damaging them.’

Longer shelf life

Mts. Koenraadt decides to invest in a completely new washing line from MCR Machinery. ‘We took a leap of faith, because we didn’t know if it would work. The test set-up and the enthusiasm of Jan Pieter and others from the MCR team gave us confidence, and that turned out to be justified. The washing line consists of a pre-soaking tank, washing belt, reading table and box filler. The special feature is that all the water is reused. The water cleaner sifts all sand particles and coarser clay particles out of the water, allowing us to use it over and over again. The shelf life of the sweet potatoes has improved considerably after washing with the MCR washing line.’

Innovative ideas

‘For us it is nice that MCR Machinery is located nearby. If there is anything, the lines are literally and figuratively short. We are happy with the innovative ideas of MCR Machinery. The company offers concepts you would never think of yourself, but they work. Because there are few growers of sweet potatoes in the Netherlands, our washing line is a kind of concept line. We come to MCR Machinery with our wishes and they start working on them. They are currently developing a clod separator and a way to sort small sweet potatoes from the washing process. This allows us to harvest a little deeper. In the process of growing sweet potatoes, everything intertwines.’