PROJECT
Graines Équitables, Laure Minervois, France
In 2021 Westrup directed a project at Graines Équitables in Laure Minervois, France. The company markets high-quality organic products and was looking at expanding their processing line.
The project aimed to construct a fine cleaning processing line for sorting up to five tons of cereals and legumes per hour in a preexisting building. Graines Équitables cleans and prepares products such as lentils, peas, mustard, and chia seeds for organic food production.
Peter Jensen, Christine Coutard, Sebastien Bessagnet, and Mathew Joseph from Westrups’ project department looked at three main objectives to meet the project requests:
Optimized Processing: Implementing a fine cleaning system to manage various cereals and legumes with high precision.
Space Efficiency: Designing a compact installation to fit within the limited available space.
Quality Assurance: Ensuring the final products meet organic standards and food-grade quality.
Machinery Installation and System Overview
To meet the stringent cleaning, transportation, and sorting requirements of Graines Équitables, a total of 11 specialized machines were installed, each playing an important role in the processing line.
As the company specializes in cereals and legumes, maintaining a steady flow in the cleaning line is essential. With a series of machines designed to remove impurities, husks, and separate the products based on size, shape, and weight, the desired flow was successfully achieved. To accommodate the limited space five elevators were installed for vertical transportation. The elevators are designed to maintain product integrity while optimizing space efficiency.
This carefully selected and integrated machinery suite ensures that Graines Équitables achieves superior processing performance, aligning with their commitment to delivering high-quality organic products.
Challenges Addressed
Space Constraints: The project faced the challenge of fitting large machinery into a limited footprint. Together with management we decided to utilize the vertical space and chose compact, multifunctional equipment to minimize floor area requirements, alongside elevated platforms for equipment installation.
Product Diversity: The range of cereals and legumes required machinery capable of handling diverse sizes and characteristics. The modularity of the selected equipment allowed seamless transitions between products, and at the same time met the EU standards for organic food processing.
Project result
Over six months, Westrup’s experienced team collaborated closely with Yann Bertin, the owner of Graines Équitables, to deliver the desired solutions.
Together, we enhanced efficiency; the integrated fine cleaning line achieved a throughput of 5 tons per hour, boosting operational efficiency. Through a combination of automatization, density-based, and optical sorting technologies the final products adhered to the highest standards of quality, and consistency was ensured. Thoughtful equipment selection and strategic layout design enabled the system to operate seamlessly within the constraints of the existing building and with prior established machinery.
We are pleased to have delivered this customized solution to Graines Équitables’ organic food production by addressing spatial challenges and operational demands. This initiative underscores Graines Équitables' dedication to sustainability and excellence, meeting the increasing demand for organic cereals and legumes.
This project is one of many we have installed across the world with large variations in demands, cleaning needs, and budgeting.
This case description has been approved by Graines Équitables.
Click to learn more: Graines Équitables
Contact:
Lars Brandt-Erichsen
Head of Projects
Peter B. Jensen
Project Manager
Christine Coutard
Country Manager, France and Italy
Call Christine
Send an e-mail
Sébastien Bessagnet
Technical Sales Manager
Call Sébastien
Send an e-mail
