The move to establish a North American manufacturing operation is building the global infrastructure to support the expanding food market for HPP equipment, said the firm.
The production facility will be located near the company’s headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee and will produce a minimum of 50 HPP systems a year, with expansion capacity.
Expanding market
Glenn Hewson, vice president of global marketing at Avure Technologies, told FoodProductionDaily.com HPP was an expanding market in the US as consumers went from take-aways to grocery stores.
“It allows us to be closer to our customers and with US and European facilities it provides better support structure to meet product demand.
“We are hoping the business will grow, despite the economic times being what they are, we reported our best sales year earlier this year and we are growing quite well.”
Hewson said Avure had a 65% share of the global HPP market and one of the highest re-order rates from customers in the industry which he described as a solid measurement of their market presence.
The company is in the final stages of site selection and will build machines to inventory based on customer demand.
HPP - or ‘cold pasteurization’ - allows products to be treated in their final packaging and Hewson added this was a big advantage as the product was not touched after the product is packaged, reducing the risk of the food being contaminated.
HPP is a non-thermal food safety method that destroys pathogens through the use of ultra-high pressure (up to 6,000 bar or 87,000 psi).
Three main benefits
When asked about the benefits to HPP, Hewson added: “There are three main benefits, the first is food safety as current chemicals used only control the levels of pathogens.
“The second is the ability to kill pathogens, yeasts and moulds, which leads to an shelf life expansion of double or more in some refrigerated products.
“The third is all natural, or what we call clean-label so there is no need for antimicrobials.”
Hewson added HPP has applications in a variety of sectors as more people are using it.
“Ready-to-eat meat is a leading market and the raw juice business is another key area.
“More is being done with dairy to get rid of yeast and mould and around proteins in cheese.
“With all this in mind, consumers are demanding fresh and healthy foods with a longer shelf life which is why retailers are turning to HPP to do that.
“Consumers are demanding fresh products, not frozen or canned food but they want convenience and a long shelf life.”