Harvesting

Mechanical Harvesting

Eden Valley so far has used a variety of mechanical harvesters on our trees achieving very satisfactory shake rates up to 95% with very limited bark damage to the trees. Our modern grove is capable of accommodating various harvesting equipment including:

Shakers

They come in all shapes and sizes but do the same thing: shake the tree to release the fruit. Some attach to tractors and others are self contained, with the modern ones catching the fruit they shake, but they all mostly consist of an hydraulic arm that can manoeuvre itself to grab major limbs and shake with a very intense vibrating motion. Pruning is essential for the shakers to get a good grip mainly of the trunk so an even shake can be made quicker and releasing higher percentages of fruit.

Over-the-Row Harvesters

Huge machines, similar to grape harvesters, drive over the top of tree rows with the olive trees passing through the middle of them. Inside the machine are big combs that gentle rake the limbs and the olives drop onto conveyor belts that collect them into bins. Although relatively new to the industry these high-tech machines are paving the way