Two of the most successful companies in food production are this month celebrating 65 years of working together.
Haith Group, which manufactures vegetable handling equipment, first worked for MH Poskitt in 1959 when Geoff Haith provided repair services to Mark Poskitt.
At the time, Poskitts was growing around 1,000 tonnes of carrots annually. Today, by working with growers, that volume has reached 70,000 tonnes per year. Along with carrots, the company also grows parsnips and potatoes, all of which are processed on the family farm in Kellington, Yorkshire, and supplied to leading supermarkets and food service companies.
When Mr Haith began developing vegetable handling machinery rather than just repairing it, Mark Poskitt was one of his first customers, purchasing a dry cleaner in 1970.
Several machine purchases followed, and most recently, Poskitts, now managed by Guy Poskitt, replaced two 25-year-old Haith washers with one of the company’s latest state-of-the-art barrel washers.
The Haith barrel washer is a robust, reliable and efficient machine with a rotating barrel that is semi-submerged in water. This feature causes the vegetables to gently rub against each other and the barrel, cleaning the surface of the crop. The barrel is fully pintle lined inside to maximise washing performance.
A discharge elevator removes the crop from the water, which can be set at a chosen outfeed height, with a freshwater spray bar giving the product a final rinse before further processing.
“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Haith,” says Guy. “I remember Mr Haith visiting us. Sometimes he would arrive at 10pm and work into the early hours to get the job done. My father said he was only the person he knew who could work 25 hours a day! I think that work ethic and commitment are present at Haith today, and we’re very happy with our new washer and the surrounding gantries that they have installed.
“The new washer replaces two older Haith washers that were installed 25 years ago. I think they probably handled over one million tonnes of vegetables, so we certainly got value for money out of them. The new washer is twice as efficient and will reduce our water and electricity usage without compromising wash quality, which is very significant in this day and age.”
As well as the carrot washer, MH Poskitt also operates a Haith line for washing parsnips on the same site. In addition to washing, Poskitts also packs and distributes its fresh and prepared produce at Kellington, creating one of the company’s points of difference.
Haith’s managing director, Duane Hill, is proud of the company’s relationship with MH Poskitt. “We want to establish long-term relationships with our customers and help them become successful. We have achieved this with MH Poskitt and are delighted to be marking 65 years of working with them, their packhouse is extremely busy and we are pleased to have provided them with reliable and efficient machinery.”
For more information about Haith and its market-leading range of vegetable handling equipment, visit www.haith.co.uk, and to find out more about MH Poskitt, look at www.poskittcarrots.co.uk
