Anykščių Vynas welcomed in this year’s apple harvest season with new equipment – an electronic queue management system was installed at the factory that makes it possible to optimise the crop buying process and avoid queues at buying points. Anykščių Vynas invested more than EUR 17,000 in the new system.
According to Anykščių Vynas production director Liubovė Rebiatnikova, the electronic queue management system has simplified the apple buying process for both factory workers and apple vendors. “With this system, carriers from all over Lithuania come to the harvest buying points at the factory by appointment, thus avoiding queues and saving time – delivering crops is faster and easier. Meantime, we get the opportunity to plan carrier flows and predict in advance how many crops can be expected. In addition, the new system allows us to avoid paperwork, since all necessary purchase documents can now be stored in digital space,” says Ms Rebiatnikova.
Anykščių Vynas was impelled to introduce the electronic queue management system by last year’s experience, when there were massive queues of lorries at the buying point due to the particularly abundant apple harvest.
Apples are delivered to the buying point by both owners of larger orchards and individual growers. Anykščių Vynas buys apples at market price, giving priority to local Lithuanian fruit, since it is truly of very high quality. Apples are used at the factory to produce juice, juice concentrates, natural apple wine and cider.
Given, the apple harvest this year is expected to be more modest, at least so far – during the first two weeks, Anykščių Vynas bought almost 1,700 tonnes of apples, which is almost a third less than during the same period last year. Even though the apples this year are not as juicy, their taste and quality are still excellent.
According to Ms Rebiatnikova, the drought and frost that caught them off guard this year contributed to the smaller harvest. However, over their long years of experience, the factory workers have already noticed a trend – the country gets a truly good harvest every other year. Since the production processes at the factory are prepared for in advance, the smaller harvest will not affect Anykščių Vynas production.
The Anykščių Vynas winery plans to close the apple buying season in early October.
