Much of the processing of mini cucumbers is already automated. There are already Aweta machines for automatic feeding, sorting, and packing into crates or trays of the smaller variety of cucumber. In the North American market, mini cucumbers are also widely sold in bags. The manual work involved is now also automated.
Mini cucumbers in bag
Aweta has developed a machine for bagging mini cucumbers. At Fruit Logistica 2025 in Berlin, the innovation was on display for the first time. "With this machine, we enable an additional stroke of automation," explains Sales Director Norman van der Gaag on behalf of the machine builder. "Filling the bags with mini cucumbers is currently still done by hand. The demand arose from the market to automate this step as well."
Labor is a hot topic in the AGF sector. Labor is increasingly scarce and expensive. "Labor costs are rising every year," says Norman, who also knows the noises that companies are struggling to find people who want to work in a packing hall. "They would rather work in the city than at the grower's premises in a packing shed."
Faster and fully automatic packaging
The Automatic Bag Filler Mini Cucumbers can be fully integrated into new and existing sorting lines. After sorting the product, in the case of mini cucumbers by external characteristics such as length, thickness, curvature, and color, the mini cucumbers go to the machine to be bagged. "In practice, you see companies working with multiple tray fillers and bag fillers. The product that does not meet all specifications does not go into a bag or tray, but into a box."
People are usually able to fill 3 to 6 bags per minute. The machine does that twice as fast. "That is important and is good for the payback time of a machine." Depending on the marketing channel, 6 to 12 mini cucumbers go into a bag. "Another advantage is that the machine does not make counting errors. You can imagine that a person who stands all day filling bags occasionally makes a mistake. You avoid that by automating this step as well."
Improved hygiene through automation
A third, not unimportant aspect as to why Aweta's innovation is important for cucumber growers who also pack their vegetables themselves, is that automation ensures that even when putting them in bags, hands no longer touch the product. "An important improvement from a hygiene point of view."
Developing packaging machines is not new for the company, which is based in Pijnacker but also has a local presence in the North American market. "We already supply machines to pack apples in bags, for example, or for cucumbers in crates or trays. For small bagged mini-cucumbers, we did not yet have such a machine. Because the demand arose and the market is especially large in North America with serious volumes, we started developing the Automatic Bag Filler Mini Cucumbers."
New machine, new questions
Tests are already being run with the first machines. After the exhibition launch, the commercial launch will now follow. "The first machines have already been sold," Norman shares. He noticed that on seeing the machine at the fair, questions immediately arose from visitors who are active with other crops or who are currently still packing in buckets, for example. "In Europe, snack vegetables are often still in buckets. Showing this machine immediately triggered new questions at the fair."
This article previously appeared in edition 3, 39th volume of Primeur. See www.agfprimeur.nl.
For more information:
Aweta 
Tel: +31886688000
sales@aweta.nl
www.aweta.com/