Operations · Chile
Baika San Felipe Plant
Our fresh fruit processing plant in the Aconcagua Valley. Since 2011 we have processed avocados and citrus under a solid operating model, where efficiency, management and teamwork have been key to reaching the most demanding markets in the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia and Latin America with our high-value fruit.
The plant in numbers
2011
In operation since
24,159
Square meters
18 to 22
Tonnes per hour
150 to 273
People depending on the season
A single processing line; in peak season we run day and night shifts.
What we process
Avocados and citrus
At San Felipe we process clementines, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins and avocados. A single processing line, able to switch species as the season demands and handle 18 to 22 tonnes per hour.
- Clementines
- Lemons
- Oranges
- Grapefruit
- Mandarins
- Avocados
The fruit's journey
From the receiving slip to the port
- 01
Receiving
The fruit arrives, its paperwork is checked, it is weighed and lotted. From there it goes to cold storage, awaiting processing.
- 02
Sorting and sizing
It enters the line, goes through sanitization and the optical sorter, which grades it by quality and size.
- 03
Packing
Once graded, it is routed to the packing outlet matching the order's box format.
- 04
Palletizing
Boxes travel by conveyor to the manual and automatic palletizing points, where pallets are built with corner boards, slip sheets and strapping.
- 05
Cooling
The pallet enters cold storage, awaits SAG inspection and leaves for the port.
Technology
What is seen and what is measured
Grading is done with high-resolution cameras operating in the visible and infrared spectrum: the equipment sees what the eye cannot.
The cold chain is controlled from receiving to dispatch, with trained staff and continuous temperature monitoring.
Every box can be traced back to its receiving slip, which records the harvest date.
Sustainability
Nearly seven hundred thousand boxes that came back
Between 2022 and 2025 we used 691,970 reusable crates at San Felipe and avoided around 346 tonnes of cardboard. Over those four years, 100% of the fruit for the domestic market was sold in this system. In 2025 alone, according to our supplier's report, the associated water savings equal more than 11,580 five-minute showers.
At the same time, we switched the entire plant's lighting to LED and replaced equipment with lower-consumption alternatives, such as soft-start compressors.
“Circularity requires order, traceability and collaboration across the entire chain. The change was well received by our teams and, beyond reducing waste, it allowed us to better protect the fruit from moisture.”
Certifications
Standards backing the plant
- BRCGS version 9, with FSMA module
- GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody
- SMETA
Grower services
Our infrastructure, available to those who grow with us
The Baika San Felipe Plant does not only process our own fruit. We also provide processing and cold storage services to growers who work with us, using the same line, the same cold rooms and the same standards as our own fruit.
Let's talk
Tell us what you need from Chile and we will reply with a concrete proposal.
Go to the contact form