Case Study Overview
Pant Du is a boutique winery, apple juice and cider producer in Snowdonia. Richard's aims were ...
- A filling machine for carbonated and still products
- A single supplier with expertise and good after-sale support
We supplied, installed and commissioned an Vigo carbonator/counter pressure filler and a Speidel tank with chilling facilities.
Pant Du is a boutique vineyard and orchard with a cafe and shop on-site in the heart of Snowdonia. Their first vintage wine made from Rondo grapes won a bronze medal in United Kingdom Vineyard Competition and they have won numerous awards in the Welsh Vineyard Association Wine Competition. Pant Du also produce apple juice and cider from their orchard of 2,900 trees.
Processing and bottling is carried out in a purpose-built building.
Co-owners Richard and Iola Huws required a filling machine for carbonated and still apple juice, cider and water.
We supplied, installed and commissioned Vigo Carbonator/Counter Pressure Filler and a Speidel fixed capacity stainless steel tank with chilling facilities.
We have since supplied Pant Du with automatic apple pressing, pasteurisation, labelling equipment and pumps.
Feedback
'We were new to artisan drink production so we needed a company with expertise to advise us. We were also looking for a “one stop shop” company. We are a small family-run business and we like to deal with similar family-run businesses, because they really care about the equipment they sell and their service. It was important for us to talk face-to-face about our objectives, so we were really pleased that Vigo came to visit us, look around our site and the new building. They understood what we wanted to achieve.
There was potential to get a grant from the local council and we needed 3 different quotes from different companies for a similar machine. I knew straight away that Vigo was the company to go to. The prices were slightly higher but I chose Vigo because of their expertise and after-sales service - in particular the back-up. I knew if I had a problem I could trust Vigo and they would always be there to help out.
The filler is a stunning machine. It’s really easy to use. It takes you through the various stages by instructing you in the correct order. This takes a lot of pressure off the production process. The Vigo engineers came up on-site to train us at Pant Du so that we would be confident using the machine.
Because Vigo made the machine, they deal with any issues in-house and quickly. It’s always reassuring that they are always there to help.'
Richard Huws, Pant Du Vineyard & Orchard