Mid-States Specialty Eggs Strengthens Capacity with GraderPro Installation

Located in Berryville, Arkansas, Mid-States Specialty Eggs operates a high-volume grading facility serving customers across the United States. Handling more than five million eggs daily, the plant combines structured off-line logistics with modern grading technology.

In 2025, Mid-States invested in a new SANOVO GraderPro 600, adding next-generation grading performance to its existing OptiGrader platform. The result is a flexible, automated setup designed to support continued growth and reliable supply.

Recent Investment in High-Capacity Grading

The GraderPro 600, installed in 2025, represents the latest generation of SANOVO grading technology. Built for high throughput and advanced automation, the line supports daily volumes of approximately 2.8 million eggs at Mid-States, with a maximum capacity of 216,000 eggs per hour.

Operating as an off-line facility, eggs arrive from local farms on pallets and are stored in temperature-controlled rooms before grading begins. Automated de-palletizing and the OptiLoader Plus ensure stable infeed performance and gentle handling.

The GraderPro platform includes individual egg tracking throughout the machine, supporting enhanced traceability and simplified recall management. Flexible denester configurations allow handling of both plastic and pulp cartons, and pack completeness is verified before closing.

Advanced Inspection with VisionAI

Following washing and UV disinfection, eggs enter the VisionAI inspection system.

VisionAI performs crack and leaker detection using high-resolution image analysis, capturing 16 images per egg to evaluate surface integrity in detail. Inspection is fully contactless, reducing mechanical wear and supporting high uptime.

The VisionAI platform also offers vision-based weighing as an available option, using advanced mathematical algorithms instead of traditional mechanical scales.

Operators can fine-tune detection parameters to match production requirements, adjusting crack categories and sensitivity thresholds as needed.

In this configuration, eggs proceed to mechanical weighing units for final weight classification before continuing to packing.

VisionAI system inspecting eggs on SANOVO egg grading machine at Mid-States Specialty Eggs facility.

A Proven Complement: OptiGrader

Alongside GraderPro, Mid-States operates an OptiGrader platform installed in 2016. Introduced in 2011, the OptiGrader remains a well-established grading solution used in modern operations worldwide.

The system features integrated washing, traditional dirt, leak, and crack detection, and precise weighing modules known for stable and reliable performance.

The OptiGrader offers two packing lane configurations:

OptiPacker lanes for flexible, fully washable operation
HC lanes optimized for high-capacity production

This installation features the OptiPacker configuration.

Using a reservoir-based packing flow, eggs are tracked in defined batches, providing reliable batch-level traceability within a robust and proven system.

The OptiGrader series is available in four capacities, supporting both off-line and in-line production setups.

SANOVO OptiGrader egg grading machine operating inside Mid-States Specialty Eggs facility.

Supporting Daily Supply at Scale

Together, the GraderPro and OptiGrader lines enable Mid-States Specialty Eggs to process and distribute more than five million eggs each day combining automation, inspection precision, and packaging flexibility to meet customer demand reliably.

For egg producers evaluating capacity expansion or modernization, the Mid-States setup demonstrates how scalable grading platforms can be combined to support both performance and operational stability.

SANOVO GraderPro egg grading machine with automated packing lanes at Mid-States Specialty Eggs facility.