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Who We Are

Mission, Vision, & Values

Growers Custom Equipment, LLC (GCE) is a specialized post harvest equipment manufacturing company for the agriculture industry.

Vision

We will be recognized as the most trusted brand in custom agriculture equipment, providing integrated pre-cooling and cooling solutions, differentiated through innovation.

Mission

Our mission is to design, engineer, manufacture, sell, and support custom equipment for the Agriculture industry.

Values

We will achieve our mission and vision with passion for excellence, honesty, ethical behavior, and uncompromising integrity.

Specialized Ag Equipment Manufacturing

GCE provides solutions to your pre-cooling and cooling needs by offering a variety of products and systems, including Vacuum Tubes, Ice Injectors, Ice Generators, Hydrocoolers, Mobile Refrigeration Trailers, and more. Our refrigeration systems not only increase the shelf life of your product but will also expand your market to more distant locations, extend market periods, and allow you to wait for produce price increases.

GCE’s skilled team of engineers and manufacturers have a proven track record of providing the highest level of expertise to help our customers increase the value of their business by preserving product quality. We have based our reputation on providing fast, yet economical cooling products and systems that continually ensure excellent arrivals, long shelf life, satisfied customers, and increased profits for the produce industry.

We Are InnovatorsWe Are DesignersWe Are EngineersWe Are Manufacturers

— Industry Leader in Specialized Equipment Manufacturing —

Our Operations

GCE’s manufacturing facilities and sales teams are located in Yuma, AZ. This new 18,000 sq. ft. facility in Yuma allows for more specialized manufacturing capabilities.

GCE leases fleet of over 25 mobile ice and refrigeration trailers and 35 ice injectors that supply ice and refrigeration to growers across North America.

The GCE Team

From the executive management team to every member of the GCE Family, you will be working with a talented group of experienced professionals. It is with pride that we can say Growers Custom Equipment boasts long-term relationships with our employees, as well as our customers and partners.

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The History of GCE

Built on a Solid Foundation

Founded in 2016, GCE was previously owned by Growers Ice Company (GIC). GIC began manufacturing specialized equipment to support its own operations in the 1930s. Over the years they have continued to innovate and design equipment to pre-cool and cool product, which maintains the quality from the field to the table.

During its early inception, GCE acquired the key assets and talent of Summit Mechanical, LLC., strengthening GCE’s position as an emerging market leader in the agriculture industry. In early 2018, GIC transferred GCE’s ownership to Post Harvest Technologies (PHT), Inc.

Currently, GCE is owned by PHT, Inc. and they continue their commitment to excellence in designing and manufacturing superior pre- and post-cooling products for companies in the agriculture industry.

GCE’s Full-Service Approach

We Are Your Single-Source Solution For Specialized Equipment Needs.

Innovate & Design

We specialize in improving our customer’s efficiencies and capabilities through the design and fabrication of custom equipment and machinery. Our innovative capabilities are based on today’s advanced technology in the ag industry.

Engineer & Manufacture

Our engineering and manufacturing capabilities enable us to design and manufacture pre-cooling products and systems that meet the highest standards and deliver the quality and value that our customers expect, anywhere in the world.

SELL & Support

GCE’s custom equipment is sold to a diverse group of companies in the ag industry. Our expert staff provides invaluable customer support. We focus on value, reliability, and professionalism to create smoother operations for our clients.

Design Build & Retrofit

Whether you’re interested in a design build or in need of a retrofit, our specialists will devise cooling solutions that work for your facility. Careful planning and superior implementation ensures you get the fastest return-on-investment with minimum impact on your day-to-day operations. From small jobs to large commercial designs, our experts have done it all and they know what works.

Design Build

By choosing our design and build capabilities, our customers eliminate the need to work with multiple sub-contractors. With complete architectural, engineering and construction services combined under a single contract, you’ll work with one team from concept to completion. At GCE, our exclusive design build approach removes the costly change orders making sure your project is completed on time, on budget and to your exact specifications. The customer reaps the benefits of “one stop shopping” at its best.

Retrofit

GCE is committed to improving sustainability and energy performance by offering retrofit services to our customers. We streamline operations and increase productivity while ensuring critical temperature reliability. By retrofitting your facility, we can reduce operation costs and environmental impacts, while also increasing building adaptability, durability, and resiliency. Our highly trained technicians handle your thermal retrofits with the premium workmanship you expect from the best in the business.

Our Products

Industry Leader in Specialized Equipment Manufacturing

To view the GCE Product Brochure, please click here.

The GCE Advanced Bin Washer

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Vacuum Tube

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Vacuum Tube

Vacuum Tubes are used in the vacuum cooling process to combine vacuum pumps with a refrigeration system and expose the vegetable to a lower boiling point of the water within and on the vegetable. This causes the water to cool, thereby pre-cooling lettuces and other vegetables.

  • Extends shelf life by pre-cooling vegetables faster than any other method.
  • Quick and efficient pre-cooling periods of 15 to 45 minutes are achieved depending on the type of product, amount of heat removed and other factors.
  • Especially effective for leafy vegetables. For certain vegetables, water can be introduced during the pre-cooling process to enhance hydration.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Ice Injector with Auto Feed

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Ice Injector with Auto Feed

Our automatic pallet fed ice injectors can supply the right amount of ice to our clients whether they need to hand inject a few thousand cartons daily or need automated icing of 500 pallets or more per day. GCE’s high volume ice injectors are radio controlled, fully automatic, and can ice an entire pallet in about 90 seconds.

Watch a video of the process here.

Ice Injector with Auto Push Off

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Ice Injector with Auto Push Off

Our automatic 8 pallet push-off ice injector with a water recovery system can supply the right amount of ice to our clients whether they need to hand inject a few thousand cartons daily or need automated icing of 500 pallets or more per day. GCE’s high volume ice injectors are radio controlled, fully automatic, and can ice an entire pallet in about 90 seconds.

Watch a video of the process here.

Hydro Cooler

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Hydro Cooler

Hydrocooling is a method of pre-cooling that involves chilling water and then showering or submerging the product in cold water. A hydrocooler is a pre-cooling system that extends shelf life by providing a fast, reliable and efficient means of cooling many water tolerant fruits and vegetables.

  • Cools produce up to 15 times faster than air.
  • Allows for greater harvesting and marketing flexibility.
  • Easily handles large amounts of produce (although hydrocoolers can also be designed for smaller quantities of produce).
  • Hydrates some products, reducing moisture loss.
  • Rinses while it cools.
  • Flexible means of cooling vegetables and fruits packed in bins, bulk, or palletized.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Ice Generator

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Ice Generator

GCE's Ice Generator works similar to our Mobile Ice Generator, however it connects to an existing refrigeration system at your facility.

  • From 35 up to 200 tons of ice generated per day.
  • Efficient, simple and reliable.
  • Industrial quality construction.
  • Corrosion resistant construction.
  • Variable ice thickness to suit different applications.
  • Portable and modular systems available.
  • Reliable PLC controls automate the generator, reducing downtime.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Mobile Ice Generator

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Mobile Ice Generator

Our Mobile Ice Generators are self-contained engine rooms, and only require water, power, and to be charged with ammonia to operate. A separate refrigeration system is not needed to operate this product. It connects to a facility or a GCE-supplied ice storage and ice injection system.

  • From 35 up to 200 tons of ice generated per day.
  • Efficient, simple and reliable.
  • Self-contained units reduce installation costs.
  • Industrial quality construction.
  • Corrosion resistant construction.
  • Variable ice thickness to suit different applications.
  • Reliable PLC controls automate the generator, reducing downtime.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Forced Air Pressure Cooler

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Forced Air Pressure Cooler

Forced-air cooling is the process of quickly removing heat from produce by creating a pressure differential across the produce. Typically stacked on pallets, the produce is positioned in rows and sealed to control the flow of cold air through the product, rather than around it. Forced-air cooling is sometimes called blast cooling or blast chilling.

  • Rapid cooling system with quick product turnaround.
  • Increases shelf life by removing field heat at a fast rate.
  • Fans can operate at relatively high static pressures.
  • More energy efficient than room cooling.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Mobile High Side

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Mobile High Side

The mobile high side is a self-contained mobile engine room that provides refrigeration and cooling capacity. This product is customized to fit our customers' mobile, seasonal, and emergency engine room needs. The mobile high side provides flexibility for customers with multiple facility locations and cooling applications.

Download the spec sheet here.

Live Bottom Feeder

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Live Bottom Feeder

GCE's Live Bottom Feeder is a very versatile piece of equipment when you need to store ice between harvests. The live bottom feeder advances the ice forward onto the screw conveyor. Optional equipment can be added to the live bottom feeder, such as connecting it to an ice injector auger system.

  • Heavy duty construction.
  • Proven GCE quality.
  • Adjustable bin heights.
  • Simplified hydraulics.
  • Download the spec sheet here.
Ice Storage Unit

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Ice Storage Unit

GCE's Ice Storage Unit is built to be versatile, efficient, and easily transportable on a Lowboy trailer. These units can be custom manufactured in a variety of sizes, ranging from the capacity of 5 tons of flake ice up to a maximum of 50 tons of flake ice. The Ice Storage Unit is fully PLC controlled with a capable wireless network interface and a stainless steel inner lining.

Download the spec sheet here.

Pre-Cooling Methods

Product Cooling Index

In order to thrive in today’s produce industry, successful growers must practice good postharvest procedures. One of the most critical components of the postharvest phase is fast and efficient pre-cooling of fruits and vegetables since maintaining shelf life ensures freshness that consumers demand on a daily basis.

Pre-cooling refers to the rapid removal of field heat shortly after the harvest of a crop. Field heat can be defined as the difference in temperature between the temperature of the crop harvested and the optimal storage temperature of that product. The choice of pre-cooling method depends largely on the perishability and refrigeration equipment of the produce and its adaptability to a specific method. Different cooling methods may be applied to the same commodity. The most common cooling methods in commercial use are the following:

Hydro-Cooling

Hydro-cooling is a method of pre-cooling that involves using our GCE Hydro-Cooler to rapidly submerge the produce in chilling water and then shower the product in cold water to remove field heat. Hydro-cooling is very fast, but limited by the temperature to which you can cool produce. Without additives, water can’t be cooled below 32°F (0°C). Therefore, this method is ineffective for cooling down to 31°F or below. One of the main advantages of hydro-cooling is that it helps the produce retain moisture and stay hydrated, which may even revive slightly wilted produce.

The Hydro-cooling method can be used for artichokes, asparagus, avocados, beans (green), beets, berries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, cucumbers, endive, green onions (some types), kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, leeks, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, radishes, romaine lettuce, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach, sweet corn, turnips, and watercress.

Vacuum Cooling

The process of vacuum cooling is the rapid refrigeration of a porous product through moisture removal. The heat is removed very rapidly, allowing for earlier shipping and a fresher product. The vacuum cooling method is performed with our GCE Vacuum Tube. The pallets containing the product are loaded into a vacuum tight chamber and the process begins. The equipment drops the pressure inside the vessel by removing air through vacuum pumps. Once the level of vacuum reaches the “flash point” moisture and heat are removed from the product in the form of water vapor. The lower the pressure inside the chamber, the lower the boiling point of water. As the vacuum goes deeper, more water vapor is removed and the product temperature is reduced until the desired temperature is achieved.

The Vacuum Cooling method can be used for bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, chard, cilantro, collards, crisphead lettuce, endive, escarole, leaf lettuce, leeks, mushrooms, parsley, and spinach.

HydroVac Cooling

Hydrovac cooling is a combination of vacuum cooling and hydro-cooling. Just prior to the “flash point” when the water evaporates from the produce, additional cold water is added. This replenishes moisture lost during vacuum cooling, which helps prevent dehydration and a loss of water weight.

The HydroVac Cooling method can be used for celery and many other leafy vegetables.

Ice Cooling

Ice cooling is the method of using our GCE Ice Injector to mix ice and water into an ice slurry mix that is “injected” into the product packaging (closed cartons) and cooled by direct contact. When injected into a box of produce this ice slurry mix surrounds the produce within, filling any open spaces. The water then drains through holes in the box leaving behind instantly cooled produce blanketed in snow.

The Ice Cooling method can be used for asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, leafy vegetables, leeks, melons, onions (green), parsley, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, and sweet corn.

Forced Air Cooling

Forced Air Cooling is the process of quickly removing heat from product by creating a pressure differential across the product. The product, usually stacked on pallets, is placed in rows and sealed to control the flow of cold air through the product, rather than around it. This cooling method uses fans designed to circulate, or force, cool air throughout the produce. By pulling the air through the produce rather than pushing it past the produce, this helps minimize associated dehydration. Nevertheless, forced air cooling often requires close monitoring and a humidifying system to prevent dehydration. Good airflow is essential for forced-air cooling and thus the produce must not be too closely packed together.

The Forced Air Cooling method can be used for apples, apricots, avocados, beans (green, wax), bell peppers, berries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cantaloupe, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, cucumbers, figs, grapes (table), honeydew, kiwifruit, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, mushrooms, nectarines, olives, peaches, peas, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, rhubarb, romaine lettuce, spinach, squash, Swiss chard, and tomatoes.

Room Cooling

With the Room Cooling method, the produce to be cooled is simply placed in a refrigerated room such as a cooler and allowed to naturally acclimate to ambient temperatures. However, modern coolers are carefully designed to closely regulate temperatures, airflow, humidity and often a host of other environmental factors that give the produce their best chance at maximum preservation and shelf life. Room cooling is most effective for produce that does not need to rapidly reach its minimum cooling temperature or which has already been pre-cooled using another method.

The Room Cooling method can be used for apples, artichokes, beets, cabbage, onions, peaches, pears, potatoes, and pumpkins.

Contact GCE

14280 S Avenue 3 East
Yuma, AZ 85365

(928) 726-2639