From Seed to Carrot – Here’s How It Works
Following the established traditions of the world’s best vegetable growers, Gezer Shluhot takes great care with every step of the growth and production process:
- Selecting a Field – Gathering extensive data about the field’s history including crop rotation, diseases, weeds, topography, drainage, and specific characteristics of the land
- Preparing the Soil for Seeding – Aerating the areas where we want to plant seeds, using specially developed tools that break up clumps of soil and prepare the bed for seeding
- Planting the Seeds – With a variety of sophisticated tools such as a large cultivator, monitored automatically by camera, that’s used primarily for organic carrots and allows for faster, more precise work and saves manual labor
- Testing New Kinds of Seeds – Using comparative testing to try out seeds sent to us by leading seed companies internationally, and identifying which ones are optimal for each growing season – ensuring the largest, best quality crop
- Continually Improving Our Results – Identifying which kinds of carrots are the sweetest and have the most appealing shape and color, with some of our favorites including Nantes, Imperator, and Chantenay
- Harvesting the Carrots – Using a large system of combine harvesters that simultaneously gathers multiple types of carrots and has a production capability of up to 1,000 tonnes per day
- Washing, Sorting, and Packing the Carrots – Working in one of two packing houses: a smaller one, in the neighbouring Kibbutz Sdeh Eliyahu, that’s just for organic carrots; and a larger one, on Kibbutz Shluhot, for all the rest
At the Heart of It All: Our Team
We’re big believers in the power of teamwork. Our most valuable resource is our interdisciplinary team, which includes agronomists with expertise in plant protection, watering systems, and mechanization, as well as experienced machine operators.
We are not just the growers, we’re also the factory owners, and we’re familiar with the entire procedure for processing the carrots. As a result of being involved in all stages of this process, we are well aware of all aspects of production, such as how important questions of taste are in the carrot market – and we’re constantly striving to improve the sweet taste of our carrots.