Turkish expert in dried tomatoes and semi-dried frozen tomatoes production relies on TOMRA's sorting technology

In 2011, in Manisa (Aegean Region, Turkey) Hami Özer and Irfan Ertekin founded DFS Gıda. The DFS abbreviation stands for 'Dried Food Solutions', highlighting its focus on processing dried tomatoes and semi-dried frozen tomatoes.

The company supplies 13 countries worldwide, including the U.S, Australia, and some Asian countries, with some 60% of its output destined to Europe. To meet the high product standards required by these countries, the company utilizes TOMRA Food's sorting technology.

Turkey is one of the largest exporters of dried and frozen semi-dried tomatoes in the world, with some 15 companies here exporting worldwide. DFS Gıda is among them, with a 10.000 sq.m. indoor facility destined only for the production of semi-dried frozen tomatoes. 

In order to maintain and strengthen its competitiveness, in November 2021, DFS Gıda started utilizing TOMRA's Blizzard sorting machine.

According to Hami Özer, DFS co-founder, the company produces up to 3.000 tons of semi-dried frozen tomatoes annually, and from 500 to 700 tons of sun-dried tomatoes, depending on the harvest. Özer explains that the demand in the Turkish domestic market for dried tomatoes is quite low and is almost at zero for semi-dried frozen tomatoes dried in ovens. Therefore, they export all of their production. Since the countries they supply expect high food safety and quality standards, they rely on TOMRA's sorting technology.

Leader in dried tomatoes and semi-dried frozen tomatoes production

Turkey started producing sun-dried tomato production 30 years ago, while semi-dried frozen tomatoes came into production in 2000.

Irfan Ertekin, DFS co-founder, comments that in 2021, Turkey's total exports of dried processed tomatoes reached approximately 40.000 tons. Some 22.000-23.000 tons are dried and processed tomatoes, and some 17.000-18.000 tons are semi-dried frozen. Turkey is the only country which exports these products, says Ertekin, and this is because producers in other countries sell solely to their local markets.

TOMRA’s sorting solutions help meet high standards despite the time pressures imposed by the harvesting season. As Hami Özer comments, harvesting begins in July and continues only until the end of September or beginning of October, depending on the weather. So, they have to process high volumes of products in a short time with no margin for error. Özer affirmes that the Blizzard optical sorting machine guarantees high performance even during long shifts in a busy season.

The product that the company processes is 100% natural and comes directly from the fields. Thanks to TOMRA's Blizzard sorting machine, it is a zero-error product, assures the co-founder. This machine guarantees elimination of plant-based foreign materials during the sorting phase. It also is capable of detecting and ejecting color defects in the tomatoes.

As Irfan Ertekin states, their investments in automation, including TOMRA's sorting technologies, indicate the importance they place on food safety. Being one of the leaders in growing and monitoring products, they need to guarantee they contain no defects or foreign materials. By using TOMRA's machine, DFS Gıda benefits from reducing operating costs and eliminating defects that cannot be seen while sorting manually. “This is how we provide high quality and food safety while improving productivity."

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