Hake, perhaps the most sold “Fish & Chips” product used to be the food for the poor. However, people have discovered its exquisite taste and the fish became one of the country's premier exports with Spain being the major consumer of South African Hake. Including certain portions of the Hake’s head, considered in some countries as a delicacy, carefully packaged reaching the overseas market.
Hake offloading
Hake is offloaded from the boat and transported to the factory with a hyster.
Inside the factory the product is then stacked in the Chill Room in Bins. From there the Hake is placed on a Conveyor Belt where it gets sorted for any defects.
Only the highest quality Hake is then graded in different sizes for example 1-2 or 2-3 up until size 6+.
Grading and smell test
Hake on Conveyor Belt
The grading is significant in pricing the product. The product is then packed with ice packs in 20kg Styrofoam boxes, scaled for weight and labeled accordingly. The packed hake boxes is placed in the Chiller for 30 minutes before being dispatch thereafter the Freezer Truck transports the product by road to the airport for exporting.
Packing
Weighing & Labelling
Shantaal Meter
CEO of Bluefin Holding
Flow Diagram for Hake fillets
Discharge
from Vessel
Heading
Gutting
De Scaling
Filetting
Trimming
Grading
Packing
Weighing
Labelling
Blast Freezing
Holding Room
shanti@bluefinholdings.co.za