Founded by Alexandre Braud in 1870, Braud launched its first self-propelled grape harvester, the 1020 model, in 1975.
In 1979, Braud created one of his most significant innovations on the 1014 model, the Noria basket conveying system: a revolutionary invention that raised the bar for harvesting quality by completely transforming the mechanisation of grape harvesting.
The Noria was the first Braud grape harvester innovation to be awarded a gold medal at the SIMA exhibition in 1980 becoming the best-selling grape harvester of all time, with more than 2,000 units shipped in less than four years.
Over time, Braud first and then New Holland have continuously improved and refined the Noria system for higher speed, improved productivity and reduced losses.
Today, the innovative Noria system continues to surprise the world’s most demanding winegrowers by offering the gentlest treatment of the vine and harvested crop, capable of transforming grown grapes into superb wines.
Braud grape harvesters are manufactured at the Coex plant in France, which has produced over 16,000 machines to date and has sold in more than 30 countries around the world, placing New Holland in a leading position in this sector globally.
The Noria system sets a benchmark for grape harvesting
Since 1979, the proven Noria basket system has conveyed every single grape harvested by a Braud self-propelled grape harvester. With its polyurethane baskets, it ensures total care of the vines and fruit without ground losses.
Simple and effective, the grapes are collected by the Noria endless chain with flexible baskets at the very bottom of the harvesting head are conveyed gently, without loss or maceration, up to the top of the harvesting head, always by the same basket.
With a chain speed equal to the machine speed but running in the opposite direction, the flexible baskets have a fixed position around the vine. This prevents damages to the vine stock and creates a perfectly sealed harvesting area.
The genius of this technology is that the Noria replicates what the human picker does: it places a bucket just below the grapes, while gravity does the rest. With Noria, the bar of excellence keeps rising.
Source : CNH Industrial