Fine Field Delivers Mechanical Blueberry Harvesting Capabilities
ANDNOWUKNOW, APRIL 2026 - FineField knows the transition from manual labor to autonomous, precision agriculture is on the horizon. That’s why the company is leading the way with its machine-harvesting technologies, helping growers solve two persistent problems: the constant struggle to find reliable picking crews and the increasing costs associated with them.
“The HARVY500 replaces 50-100 manual pickers and can operate continuously and consistently during the harvest season,” begins Selynn Vong, Sales and Marketing - USA. “Advanced features like our patented Soft-Touch Catch System ensure fresh-market quality berries are harvested with minimal ground loss of 3–7 percent (comparable to hand-picking), while solar-powered, zero-emission operation and real-time data tracking move farms toward a more sustainable, eco-friendly, and autonomous future.”
As Selynn and I dive deeper, she explains how the machine delivers on ROI.
“The HARVY500 offers a rapid return on investment of approximately 2-4 years, depending on picking costs and utilization. By reducing variable seasonal labor expenses for a reliable, high-performance technological asset, growers can cut total harvest costs by 75 percent,” she shares. “Our technology protects harvest yields, while the solar-powered electric drive decreases fuel bills and keeps long-term overhead to a minimum.”
To realize the return on investment in a mechanical harvester such as HARVY500, Selynn concedes that an operational shift in farm management is required.
“This includes preparing fields for automation, implementing post-harvest sorting to manage harvested fruit, and training lead operators to understand data-driven optimization,” Selynn adds.
Marcel Beelen, Chief Executive Officer, further strengthens the case for incorporating automated solutions.
“In a rapidly evolving blueberry industry, Fine Field’s HARVY500 enables growers to maintain quality while significantly improving harvesting efficiency and reducing dependency on manual labor,” he emphasizes. “Investment in a HARVY500 autonomous harvester is enabling growers to implement smarter harvesting processes for a growing blueberry industry.”
As interest in HARVY500 booms in Europe, FineField, a Dutch company, is making inroads in the North American market.
“North America has become one of our growing markets with early adopters on both the East and West coasts, with 13 HARVY500 in operation to date,” Selynn says. “We have established a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest and Southeastern United States, where critical labor shortages and increasing labor costs have made mechanical harvesting a financial necessity.”
The HARVY starts harvesting fresh blueberries in the Southeast USA as early as May, moving up to the Northeast in June, and to the Pacific Northwest from June through September.
Scaling its footprint in Europe and North America through targeted deployments and regional technical support, FineField continues to focus on expanding the “Autonomous Farm”.
“Our roadmap emphasizes continuous product innovation and upgrades to maximize operational efficiency with data-driven tools for a smart harvest,” Selynn shares of what’s to come. “We continue strengthening our presence in Europe, while expanding to North America and other parts of the world as countries adopt premium blueberry varieties optimized for mechanical harvesting. FineField provides blueberry growers with an autonomous, precision-harvesting innovation that protects fruit quality while advancing the farm toward a sustainable future.”
