Holderhof Produkte AG depends on herbs of the highest quality to prepare the various beverages in its wide range of iced teas. What is crucial here is not only the cultivation, but also the processing. On the farming operation in Ufhofen, our agricultural team cultivates various herbs in organic quality. The more than ten hectares of land with apple mint, Moroccan mint, peppermint, lemon balm, nettles, lemon thyme, dill, parsley, lovage or verveine are all located directly around the farm. Therefore, the distances from the field to the drying plant are short, which has a positive effect on the quality of the end product.
New drying plant
This summer, the new herb drying plant went into operation in Ufhofen. After the Holderhof company had gained initial experience with herb drying on a smaller scale over the past few years, this year saw the construction of a new, significantly larger facility. The drying system was optimised on the basis of the experience gained so far and implemented according to the company’s own ideas. At the centre is a simple hay ventilation system with a system of dehumidifiers. The moisture is extracted very gently so that the flavour in the plants is optimally preserved. At full capacity, there is a drying capacity of 100 tonnes of dried herbs per year. The drying plant is housed in the former barn in Ufhofen, which has now been completely rebuilt. Four separate drying rooms are now available there. Each is equipped with a separate fan and heat exchanger.
Resale to other companies
Within minutes, the fresh herbs harvested with a cutter loader wagon first enter a special dosing device. This cuts the plants into small pieces, which speeds up the drying process. The fresh herbs then reach the cells via the conveyor system, where they dry in three to four days at temperatures between 33 and 35 centigrade. The installed heat recovery system enables very efficient use of the energy used. Soon the electricity needed for this will even come to a large extent directly from the company’s own photovoltaic system, which is to be installed on the roof in the near future. In the processing room, the dried herbs are filled into large paloxes or big bags and then transported to the production site in Henau for use in our beverages. Holderhof also sells a large proportion of the organic herbs on to other companies in the food industry.
The herbs are harvested mechanically.
Nettles in the herb field.
The herbs are first crushed.
A conveyor belt takes the freshly harvested herbs to the drying rooms.
The organic herbs are gently dried.