Fruitapeel – The ‘One Stop Shop' Drinks Solution – Now With HPP

Fruitapeel Juice, a family-owned business, set up in 2009 is delighted to announce a £2.3M investment in its South Wales facility. The company produce fruit juices and smoothies for the UK market and have grown from a standing-start to £9.3M turnover in just over 5 years.

From April 2015, High Pressure Processing (HPP) facilities will be available alongside their existing operations, meaning they are in the unique position of being the only UK manufacturer able to extract juice directly from citrus fruit, bottle it and then use this innovative technology to provide the best-tasting product possible - all from one site.

The company specialises in squeezing citrus fruit, handling hundreds of tonnes of Oranges every week, supplying retail, B2B, wholesale and foodservice customers from their South Wales site.

With the introduction of HPP technology from Hiperbaric, the World’s leading manufacturer of High Pressure Processing (HPP) equipment for the food industry and represented in the UK and Ireland by Interfood Technology, Fruitapeel will now be able to offer additional benefits to their customers, including:

• Replacement of the traditional heat-treatment process (pasteurisation)
• The deactivation of harmful bacteria, extending shelf life
• Reduction or even eradication of costly waste at store level
• Nutrients remain unaffected by the process, unlike pasteurisation
• Products taste as good on last day of life as the first

Sales & Marketing Director, David Taylor stated “With the introduction of this superb technology, it means that we are now able to offer our customers even more options for products, allowing us to take the juice directly from fruit, bottle and HPP it all on one site, giving it significantly longer life and better taste & quality as well as saving them money.”

Currently, HPP technology is only available through stand-alone ‘toll-packers’ in the UK. The siting of the equal-largest machine, the Hiperbaric 420 in the juice and smoothie plant means that customers can have everything done on one site in the UK for the first time, saving time and money, avoiding excessive transport costs in the supply chain. Fruitapeel will be able to offer a similar ‘toll-pack’ service in addition to the handling of their own products.

HPP technology has been used extensively in other parts of the world and is now starting to make a major impact in the UK through brands such as ‘Coldpress’ to improve flavour delivery, safely extend shelf life and remove the need for heat treatment, thereby protecting nutrients.

Fruitapeel recently won a 'Collaboration in Business Award' from Horticulture Wales which was presented to them by The Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, who has also subsequently visited the Fruitapeel plant to see how this growing company have been able to expand their operations with help from the Welsh Government.

As Managing Director, Terry Haigh said, "We are about to embark on a new chapter of the business with new technologies and innovation that will allow us to lead the field in development and processing of juice and smoothies. Welsh Government support has been essential in the growth of Fruitapeel Ltd at Llantrisant over the last few years and we look forward to continuing the great relationship we have with them and further growing our business by taking it to the forefront of juice and smoothie making in the UK.”