We are going to follow a mandarin today. We are going to visit a fruit packhouse, it is my last day in Central California. Nothing you will see is sustainable or organic and absolutely nothing is old fashioned. But interesting nevertheless. 
This packhouse packs the Cutie mandarins. Mostly I am interested in the architectural shapes created in a packhouse. They are designed specifically to be efficient, so everything is refined right down to the essentials. Also the grading machines themselves are created with extraordinary precision. On walking into the packhouse we were hit with a fresh blast of citrus. If they could only bottle that scent! The fruit is washed and scanned and runs along these lanes and onto the grader.
This packhouse is 400,000 square feet. Each fruit drops into its own individual cup and travels along the grader. 
500 fruit per minute per lane, 10,000 fruit per minute on this one machine! In its own cup the mandarin is pre graded for blemish, colour, density and weight. Then onto another belt and sent through a wall, in a river of orange, to be waxed then onto the next series of graders that grade for size. 
None of these images can capture the vastness of this arena of fruit. Each piece of fruit can be graded multiple times depending on the market. The girls do a last quality check before bagging. This packhouse that sends your Cuties to your supermarket is absolutely pristine. I was very impressed. 
Automation everywhere.
The bagging machine is behind glass and fascinated me!
And off to the market.
there is always a shadow..
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
67 responses to “Following a Mandarin through a massive Californian Packhouse”
Well at least it’s home grown 😉
True! c
There is a show on cable that show how things are made and highlights 2 or 3 items each week. Like the plant you just showed us, this stuff fascinates the little boy in me. You can never have too many gears and conveyor belts, in my most humble opinion. Thanks for taking us along.
you are welcome.. my boys are the same! more stuff – more better!
My son has turned ‘How It’s Made’ into a religion… 😉
I have never seen it, but it sound like a goodie!
Always neat to watch how these get packed so quickly 🙂
awesome isn’t it! c
Yups! i take it that you bought a box or two? 😉
NOPE.. security one oh one that place! c
Awe, but this is the perfect place! fresh into a box and to the consumer ;P lol!
that is true andy.. the lines move very fast from one truck to the other.. c
Really interesting post, great to see how they process the fruit, and great name “Cuties” love it!
Cheers
Marcus
Cuties (as i understand it) is a collection of citrus packers! and that is their tradename.. c
Great photos as usual. Its a visual pleasure to follow you around (especially without having to leave my chair). 😉
I want to say just sit back and enjoy but it sounds SO Bad!! C
I like watching the same show John mentioned. It’s incredible to me the complexity and specificity of things people design for preparation, manufacture, packaging and so forth. In a way, it makes it all the more impressive how much still *is* hand-done (as in the final grading of the Cuties). I enjoyed the tour!
I enjoyed the tour too.. awesome precision! c
Love the photos, especially that first one.
It is lovely how the leaves are still ON the trees here, but beautiful colours.. c
Well, you were lucky to go through that plant.. I love a good mandarin and, although they don’t get any points for not being organic, the scent of mandarin oranges is heavenly!
The scent was certainly the first impression, smidge! c
These pictures are great! So fascinating.
Thank you hon, what is happening in your kitchen.. c
Clementines are my surgeon friend’s favorite snack!
healthy boy.. c
Give me old fashioned any day 🙂 Stunning pics!
I am back of to old fashioned today, so stand by! c
How interesting to get to go through there C.
It was good to do, i like to keep up with what the other side is doing.. c
Wow.. these are amazing photos. I am in awe of this place and the photos you took
it was noisy and dangerous which was fun! c
So many mandarins! It must have been very interesting to see the plant.
It was and yes thousands and thousands of balls of orange goodness.. c