PHOTO BY VICKI JOHNSON Edamame beans in their pods are taken from the trucks onto a conveyor where workers remove stems and other debris.

OLD FORT — The American Sweet Bean Co.’s edamame harvest is in full swing and sweet beans are heading for a fresh produce market, as well as their usual frozen food packages. CEO Charles Fry said the local agribusiness has been growing each year. “Our production doubled from last year and we plan to double or triple next year,” he said. Usually, edamame is sold frozen. But this year, for the first time, Walt Churchill’s Market grocery stores in Perrysburg and Maumee are to carry the fresh version. Most of the harvest is being processed at a facility near Old Fort. Edamame beans in their pods are taken from the trucks onto a conveyor where workers remove stems and other debris. The pods move into a rinse tank where dirt is removed, small stones are filtered and water begins the cooling process. The pods then move on to a rinse in cooler water and enter two trough-like hydro-coolers, where the temperature is reduced to 40-45 degrees.