STASSEN

To ensure a guaranteed, steady and sufficient supply of apples which have the technological qualities it is looking for, Stassen has established several hundred hectares of orchards on long-term contracts with over twenty or so farmers. Half of these orchards are located in Belgium (in the province of Liege) and the rest are in France in the Thierache region north of the department of Aisne). Compared to a standard eating apple orchard, (trees 2 – 2.5 metres tall, planted at an average density of 1600 plants to the hectare), the cider apple orchard contains trees which are between 5 to 6 metres tall planted at a density of 700 trees per hectare. The cider factory provides its contracting farmers with a technical service carried out by an agricultural engineer. In eating apple orchards, the fruit is picked by hand while in our cider apple orchards, their strong natural resistance to knocks means they can be harvested by machine after they have been shaken off. The apples are harvested when fully ripe and are processed straight away, after first having been pre-cleaned at the orchard and then given a final wash in the factory. In eating apple orchards, the fruit is picked by hand while in our cider apple orchards, their strong natural resistance to knocks means they can be harvested by machine after they have been shaken off. The apples are harvested when fully ripe and are processed straight away, after first having been pre-cleaned at the orchard and then given a final wash in the factory.