Hunts Devon Cider - pressing, pasteurising & BIB filling

Hunt's Devon Cider - pressing, pasteurising & BIB filling

Hunts Devon Cider - pressing, pasteurising & BIB filling 1

'The service provided by their [Vigo's] sales team and engineers was second to none ... The equipment has brought our business into the 21st century. The improved production efficiency has allowed us to grow our business using our existing workforce.'

Richard Hunt, Hunt Devon Cider

Case Study Overview

Hunts Devon Cider is a small family-run mixed farm in South Devon, with 18 acres of cider apple orchards. Richard & Annette's aims were ...

  • Improve speed & efficiency of pressing & pasteurisation
  • Increase capacity of bag in box filling

We supplied, installed and commissioned a Voran automatic pressing/milling system, a Vigo flash pasteuriser and a Technibag semi-automatic bag in box filling machine.

About Hunt's Farm Cider

Hunts Devon Cider is a small family-run mixed farm in South Devon, with 18 acres of cider apple orchards. The Hunt family has been producing cider since 1805 and were instrumental in getting Paignton Harbour built in the 1830s, which as well as being used for landing fish and coal, was also used to export cider.

Today the farm, although not given organic status, is run very much with the environment in mind – no sprays or artificial fertilisers are used in the orchards and the farm is part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme.

They currently produce between 5000 and 7000 gallons of cider each year, made up of predominantly Devonshire cider apple varieties. In order to achieve a good and clean fermentation, Hunt’s Cider is made without manufactured yeasts or extra sugar.

Richard and Annette Hunt wanted to improve the speed and efficiency of their pressing and pasteurisation processes. They were using a very traditional hydraulic press but needed to press around 7 tonnes of fruit per day. Pasteurisation was carried out using an in-bottle pasteuriser. They wanted to increase the capacity of their bag-in-box filling.

We supplied, installed and commissioned a Voran WALC wash mill with elevator and an EBP650 belt press to enable them to press around 1500 kg per hour and maximise their juice yield; a Vigo flash pasteuriser which pasteurises at 750 litres per hour and delivers juice or cider hot direct to a bottle or bag filler; and a Technibag Sympaty Top 270 semi-manual filling machine for vacuum bags which fills at around 270 x 3 litre bags per hour.

Feedback

'We chose Vigo because we knew we’d receive a high quality service, from the moment when we enquired right through to installation and after care. The service provided by their sales team and engineers was second to none. They ensured we were buying the right equipment to meet our needs.

The Voran belt press and mill has greatly improved our thoughput at harvest time, helping us to avoid back logs of apples waiting to be milled and pressed. It has freed up labour resources, allowing them to be redeployed elsewhere, improving our efficiency as a business.

Having previously used a Vigo In-bottle pasteuriser, the Vigo flash pasteuriser has been a revelation to us when bottling our still juices and ciders. The efficiencies gained have gone a long way towards paying for the upgrade. However, where the Flash Pasteuriser has comes in to its own is when used in conjunction with our Technibag bag-in-box filler. The combination of these two pieces of equipment, allowing us to hot fill bag-in-boxes, has again improved our efficiency, and also improved the quality of the product we are able to supply to the consumer.

The equipment has brought our business into the 21st century. The improved production efficiency has allowed us to grow our business using our existing workforce. The ability to hot fill bag-in-boxes has improved the quality of the products we are able to supply, allowing a more consistent product throughout the year.'

Richard Hunt, Hunts Devon Cider

Products Supplied

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Easter 2024 - Delivery of Orders

Our warehouse and office will be closed for the Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 29th, and we will resume regular hours on Tuesday 2nd April.

Please note any orders placed after 12.00 noon on Thursday 28th March will be dispatched on Tuesday 2nd April.

Wishing everyone a happy Easter & Bank Holiday!