Traypack Cargo and Bussel: Everything You Need to Export Your Fruit

Apples do not spoil on the tree: they spoil on the way. Between your packing line and the importer's shelf there is a forklift, a pallet, a lorry and, more often than not, a ship. Every knock the fruit takes on the way comes straight out of your margin, and it does not show on the delivery note: it shows on the claim at destination.

The bussel and the Traypack Cargo are the pieces that prevent that journey: the box, which we supply as separate lid and base, and the tray that goes inside and holds the fruit piece by piece. This page explains what each one does, which traypack number fits the size of your variety, how it slots into your packing line, and why it pays to close your forecast before the season starts rather than halfway through it.

Traypack Cargo and Bussel: the tray and the box

It is the most common mix-up when somebody calls for a quote, so let us start there: they are not two versions of the same product, they are the parts of one export packing system.

Traypack Cargo: the tray that goes inside the bussel

Traypack Cargo is the specific tray that goes inside the bussel box for exporting fruit. It is a tray with cavities in which each hollow holds one piece and protects it individually, so fruit does not rub against fruit in transit.

• It goes inside the bussel box, not in a standard box.
• Each cavity protects one piece individually.
• Several layers of traypack are stacked inside the same bussel.
• It comes in different numbers according to fruit size: the more cavities, the smaller the hollow and the smaller the size.

Do not confuse it with the standard pulp tray used in standard boxes. They are different products, so when you order it is worth calling it by its name: Traypack Cargo.

The bussel: the box, as lid and base

The bussel (from the English bushel) is the export carton, deeper than a standard box, designed to move volumes of fruit at the lowest logistics cost per kilo. The traypacks go inside, stacked, each one with its layer of fruit.

Fontanet supplies it in two separate parts: the bussel base, which is the bottom of the box, and the bussel lid, which is the top.

What it brings, according to its own product sheet:

• It optimises logistics space and cuts storage and shipping costs.
• A sturdy structure that protects the fruit through handling and distribution.
• Safe stacking, with better stability of the assembled pallet.
• Generous ventilation, which helps preserve product quality in cold storage and in transit.
• Built-in handles and a printable surface for the shipper's own branding.

Together they make up the complete system, and Fontanet sells all three parts:

• Bussel lid — the top of the box.
• Bussel base — the bottom of the box.
• Traypacks — the trays that go inside, in different numbers according to size.

It is a complete solution: the box and what goes inside come from a single supplier. That is why it pays to size everything at once, using the same reference size.

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Seven reasons to export with Traypack Cargo and bussel

1. shield Protection piece by piece. Golden and Gala bruise at the first knock and the mark does not fade: it darkens. With every apple in its own cavity there is no more rubbing between pieces, and that is where most of the waste that shows up at destination — not at the packhouse — comes from.
2. inventory_2 The complete pack, from a single supplier. Bussel lids, bussel bases and traypacks come on the same order and the same delivery note. No juggling lead times between two or three suppliers, and no risk of the box arriving without what goes inside it.
3. gps_fixed Different sizes available. Traypack Cargo comes in different numbers, each for a size range. Chosen well, the piece neither rattles in its hollow nor is squeezed: it stays still for the whole journey.
4. local_shipping Stock and speed. The fastest-moving numbers, in stock throughout the season and shipped from Fraga, right in the growing area. If the one you need is not in stock, we tell you the lead time before you close the order.
5. storefront Premium presentation for export. The box opens and the fruit is aligned, clean and all facing the same way. The buyer decides in the first few seconds, and a tidy box buys attention that a loose-packed box does not.
6. layers Stackable in layers. Several layers of traypack go inside the bussel, one on top of another and each with its fruit, so one pack carries far more fruit than a single-layer box.
7. check_circle Easy counting. Each cavity is one piece. With the traypack number and the layers in the bussel you know how many pieces the box holds without counting them by hand, and whoever receives it can check at a glance when they open it.

Sizes: how to choose the traypack number

You do not order a Traypack Cargo by size, you order it by number. Each number corresponds to a cavity size and therefore to a size range: the more cavities, the smaller the hollow and the smaller the fruit.

We confirm the exact number with you based on the real average size of your crop. The table below gives you the starting point by variety.

Guidance by variety

Starting from the average calibre each variety usually comes in at, this is the customary starting point. Pears are in the same table because their season overlaps with apples and many packhouses order both on the same delivery:

Calibres are indicative and shift from one harvest to the next and from one orchard to another. What counts is the real average calibre of your crop: tell us, or send us a sample, and we will adjust the reference.

How the traypack fits into the packing line

You do not have to rebuild the line to start using traypack. The traypack works with the same people and the same machinery you already have, and the circuit is always this one:

1. 1

   Goods in and storage

   Lids, bases and traypacks arrive palletised on the same order, ready for the season.

2. 2

   Setting up the box

   The bussel base is assembled and the first traypack is seated on the bottom, pushed against the walls so it does not shift during filling.

3. 3

   Filling piece by piece

   Manual or semi-automatic, after grading. Each apple in its cavity, stem up if the presentation calls for it.

4. 4

   Second and third layer

   Inside the bussel another traypack is seated on top and the process repeats, layer by layer, until the box is full.

5. 5

   Closing and labelling

   Bussel lid, taping and a label with batch, variety and calibre. This is where the case sealer and the labeller come in.

6. 6

   Palletising and dispatch

   Pallet built, corner protectors on the edges and stretch film to immobilise the load. The fruit travels held twice over: by the traypack and by the pallet.

The last step matters as much as the first: a badly secured pallet undoes through vibration the work the traypack has done. We cover it in the guide to industrial stretch film and in the one on cardboard corner protectors for palletising. And if you also pack part of the crop in mesh, the netting machines guide runs through the machines that apply it.

Fontanet traypack: availability, speed and price

We are in Fraga, inside the growing area, and that is not a detail on the contact page: it means short delivery runs and that we know the seasons from the inside.

• Lead time outside the area: for the rest of mainland Spain we count 48-96 h from order confirmation, always on a reference held in stock.
• Special references: less common traypack numbers are made to order; ask us for the lead time before closing your forecast.
• Advice included: we help you choose the traypack number and work out how many lids and bases you need, free of charge and with no obligation to buy.
• One supplier for the whole line: bussel lids, bussel bases, traypacks, labels, corner protectors and film all on the same delivery note.

Get your apple season ready in time

The apple season in Lleida and Aragón starts in September with Golden and runs into spring with fruit out of cold storage. It is one of the main apple-growing areas in Spain, which means that in October the whole district orders traypack in the same week.

The pattern repeats every year. The packhouses that forecast have their stock reserved, a fixed price and scheduled deliveries. The ones that call once they are already packing find the exact reference they need sold out, longer lead times and less room to negotiate. The difference is not the supplier: it is the date of the phone call.

Five steps to close your forecast

1. check_circleWork out the volume: boxes per day times days of season, with the October peak counted separately.
2. check_circleConfirm the average calibre of every variety you are going to pack.
3. check_circleWork out how many bussel lids and bases you need and how many layers of traypack go in each box.
4. check_circleAsk us for a quote with those three figures and check the physical sample.
5. check_circleClose the order and the delivery dates before picking starts.

Why work with Fontanet Group

We have spent 14 years supplying packaging to fruit and vegetable packhouses, cooperatives and handling plants from Fraga, in Huesca, with a team that adds up to more than 30 years in the sector. We serve mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands and the rest of Europe, and we support you through the whole season, not just on the day of the order.

You can see the rest of our packaging solutions, the packing machinery that goes with them, or read our story.

Frequently asked questions about traypack and bussel