On Scotland's Moray coast lies Wellhill Farm, a family-run business run by the Taylor family since 1926. Today, the fourth generation runs the business: Owen and his brother Duncan, along with their mother Ilene Taylor. On Wellhill's fertile but challenging land, they grow 16 different varieties of seed potatoes, destined for both the domestic and export markets.

The challenges of Scottish agriculture

Scottish agriculture has its own dynamics. The wet climate and the heavy clay soil, rich in stones and clods, present challenges, especially when sorting seed potatoes. This process requires a lot of time, accuracy and manpower.

The step to further innovation

Although steps had been taken towards automation in the past, bottlenecks remained. Still, staff shortages and inefficient double sorting of difficult batches remained a bottleneck. The Taylors knew further innovation was needed to future-proof the business. During their search for a solution, they came into contact with Flikweert Vision. A Dutch company dedicated entirely to sorting potatoes and onions, that appealed to the Taylors.

A convincing visit to the Netherlands

After a visit to the Netherlands, where Owen saw the sorting machines in action, he was convinced. The machines matched his requirements perfectly: focused on quality, efficiency as well as ease of use. Wellhill Farm invested in two machines: the Divider and the QualityGrader. The Divider takes care of a first rough selection, removing clods, stones and foreign objects at an early stage. The QualityGrader takes care of the second part of the process, detecting external abnormalities such as scab, damage or malformations.

Efficiency and quality go hand in hand

The benefits soon became clear. Pre-sorting capacity tripled, and quality sorting results also improved significantly. At the same time, drastically fewer staff were needed. In a market where finding good staff is becoming increasingly difficult, this is a big plus. Moreover, product quality remains high and the sorting process is more manageable.

Ready for the future

For Owen and his team, it is clear: anyone who wants to stay in the future of the seed potato sector must dare to invest in technology. “The number of seed potato growers is decreasing, but the demand for quality is rising. With these sorting machines, we will keep competing at level, he says. “We can work faster, smarter and more consistently, even under the tough conditions of the Scottish clay soil.”

A reliable partner in progress

Flikweert Vision has proven to be a reliable partner in progress for Wellhill Farm. Thanks to innovation and hands-on solutions and expertise, we remain competitive and forward-looking as a family business.