Denton, Texas (May 30, 2024) – Tetra Pak, a pioneer and world-leading food processing and packaging solutions company, is pleased to share that Suntado LLC, a contract manufacturer in dairy and other beverages, has opened a state-of-the-art facility in Burley, Idaho.

With commercial readiness expected just in time for Dairy Month (June), the facility can process up to 1 million pounds of local milk per day into shelf-stable and ESL milk and other liquid dairy products, many of which will be packaged in Tetra Pak^® cartons.

“Shelf-stable products are one of the most exciting ways Tetra Pak is helping to move the beverage industry forward,” said Seth Teply, president and CEO of Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada. “With a longer shelf life and no need to refrigerate until opened, shelf-stable dairy products support the transformation of food systems by increasing access to safe food and reducing food waste. We’re excited that Suntado chose to work with us to create the innovative dairy and beverage facility of the future.”

Tetra Pak’s shelf-stable packaging allows food and beverages to stay safe for long periods of time without additives, preservatives or refrigeration before opening, offering cost savings and production efficiencies while minimizing food waste due to spoilage and reducing the environmental impact of the transportation and storage of finished goods. Additionally, Tetra Pak’s unfinished packaging material ships in a convenient roll, reducing the cost and impact of freight and storage space when compared with most other packaging formats.

With capacity and capability to produce a wide variety of dairy-based and other beverages, and a vertically integrated milk supply, Suntado offers solutions that cater to a diverse range of needs. Located in the third-largest dairy-producing state of Idaho, the facility is owned by Dirk Reitsma and Jesus Hurtado, who respectively own 6,000 organic and 30,000 conventional dairy cows within 20 miles of the processing facility, thus supplying fresh local milk to the plant.

“This vertically integrated facility and our product offerings are completely different than anything out there right now,” said Tory Nichols, office of the CEO, Suntado. “I’m energized by the fact that we’ve built this plant from the ground up, creating a secure, locally sourced milk supply. This facility will offer countless brands the flexibility and scalability they seek, and Tetra Pak’s input and shelf-stable expertise has proven invaluable to our efforts along the way.”

About the facility:

The facility is a 190,000-square-foot production plant on 23 acres of land.

This is phase one of a three-phase project, with the ability to triple the capacity in the future.

Operations will continue to ramp up throughout 2024, with an estimated 800,000 to 1 million pounds of milk processed every day in the next 12 months.

Owned by experienced and large-scale organic and conventional dairy farmers, Suntado has a unique advantage in providing a reliable and high-quality local milk supply. This allows Suntado to guarantee the freshest and finest ingredients for dairy-based beverages.

This vertically integrated facility processes and packages products in one location.

Suntado is not producing its own brand. This facility will instead enable retailers and national brands to create private-label beverage products.

The initial focus is on shelf-stable and ESL milk, cream and other dairy-based beverages, with the ability to expand beyond dairy into additional beverages.

For more information on the facility, visit www.suntado.com.

For more information on Tetra Pak processing and packaging solutions, visit www.tetrapakusa.com

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, May 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A need for more sustainably produced food products calls for crops and innovative processes that positively affect the environment and reduce GHG emissions. To leverage this opportunity, Protein Industries Canada is co-investing into a new project with Blue Sky Hemp Ventures Ltd., Virtex Grain Exchange and Thar Process to advance Canada’s protein processing technology, create new high-protein ingredients, and support the commercialization of hemp and canola ingredients.

Using cutting-edge, sustainable, solvent-free technology, combined with Blue Sky’s unique ‘whole plant utilization’ model, the partners will produce high-protein canola and hemp ingredients for applications in food products that are expected to have a negative carbon footprint. These developments are expected to open new markets for truly sustainable baking products, plant-based dairy and meat alternatives.

"This project, led by Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, is a great example of how Protein Industries Canada is helping establish this country as a leader in sustainable processing technology and a supplier of high-quality ingredients," said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. "The commercialization of hemp and canola ingredients in a sustainable and cost-effective way is creating new economic value, and support for the project will help attract investment from international markets."

“Canada is a leader in agricultural technology development. This innovative project will help to provide Canadians with more sustainably produced food choices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the growth of our ingredient and value-added manufacturing sector,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The project focuses on demonstrating the commercial viability of this novel approach to recover the vast majority of oil without using potentially harmful chemicals such as hexane. By avoiding high temperatures and chemical treatments, the resultant meal can be fractionated into high-quality proteins and gluten-free flours at relatively low cost – all while sequestering CO2 through Blue Sky’s ‘whole plant utilization’ model. Working with strategic partners, the project will develop commercial-ready products customized for use in the alternative dairy, meats and baking sectors. This advancement of new canola and hemp processing will create new economic opportunities for Canada.

“There is massive economic potential for Canada in ingredient manufacturing. Through the development of new and sustainable technologies, such as this one, Canada will advance our ingredient manufacturing sector and reach our $25 billion opportunity,” Protein Industries Canada CEO Bill Greuel said. “The Global Innovation Clusters de-risk Canadian innovation to help establish Canada as a leader in sustainable technology and a supplier of high-quality ingredients.”

More than $5.9 million is being invested into this project, with the partners investing $4.2 million, and Protein Industries Canada investing the remaining $1.6 million.

The project will scale up CO2 extraction technology, with the project lead, Blue Sky, working to improve the process by testing the oils and assessing the technical and economic impact from hemp and canola crop inputs.

“Blue Sky is excited to commercially demonstrate this high-value project. We truly see this project as a win for farmers by adding more value to canola and hemp crops, to consumers by developing a new range of nutritious and environmentally sustainable ingredients, and to the planet by sequestering CO2 through our whole plant utilization model,” Andrew Potter, CEO of Blue Sky Hemp Ventures said.

Virtex processes and refines canola of which these processes are easily adaptable to hemp. Virtex has been working closely with Blue Sky for several years on refinery projects and will be providing high-fat canola meal for further processing regarding protein extraction. 

“Virtex is massively happy and excited to be significantly involved on this project because of the positive, impactful and beneficial options that it offers to our environment and the Canadian food sector. We believe that this project will answer some questions surrounding crop sustainability and offer some solutions to issues related to adding value to canola and hemp,” Stanley Chukwukelu, Quality Assurance / Quality Control Manager of Virtex Grain Exchange said.

Thar will be providing the initial equipment for the project and will be working closely with Blue Sky to design a larger-scale system for deployment to large-scale oilseed crushing facilities as an economic alternative to current processes.

"Canada is leading the way in moving beyond hydrocarbon solvents and into upcycled technologies like supercritical CO2 extraction and we are humbled to play our role with our friends at Blue Sky and Virtex," Todd Palcic, President and Chief Revenue Officer of Thar Process said.

Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters. Protein Industries Canada and its members are working to embrace the $25 billion opportunity presented by Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bio-product sector. Projects such as these add value to, and create new markets for, Canadian crops, generating local jobs and supporting new economic development in locations across Canada. More information can be found at theroadto25billion.ca.

Herndon, Va.; May 29, 2024 — Emerson has reaffirmed its support for The Amazing Packaging Race at PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3-6; McCormick Place, Chicago), continuing a partnership of over a decade with show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

Laura Thompson, vice president of Trade Shows at PMMI, emphasized the significance of education and workforce development, stating, “PMMI is committed to engaging students and fostering their enthusiasm for our industry. The return of The Amazing Packaging Race to Chicago this year underscores our dedication to this cause.”

The event, which sees student teams tackle challenges set by exhibitors across all four halls of the show floor, will culminate on Nov. 6 with prize presentations to the top three teams. Each winning team member will be awarded $1,000, with second and third-place teams receiving $500 and $250 per member, respectively.

Jim Pittas, president and CEO of PMMI, commended Emerson's ongoing support, noting its pivotal role in sustaining programs like The Amazing Packaging Race and contributing significantly to the PMMI Foundation. “Our partnership with Emerson is a source of immense pride, enabling us to collectively shape the industry's future,” Pittas remarked.

Exhibitors interested in participating in the race can register here, with a participation fee of $600, all proceeds benefiting the PMMI Foundation. For additional details, contact Kate Fiorianti, director, Workforce Development at PMMI, at 571.287.4406 or kfiorianti@pmmi.org

Established in 1998, the PMMI Foundation champions packaging and processing education across the U.S. and Canada. It has disbursed over $3.8 million to strengthen the industry's workforce.

The Amazing Packaging Race is one of several student activities featured at the show designed to attract the next generation of packaging and processing professionals. Additional programs include PACK Challenge, sponsored by PepsiCo, a machine-building competition among high school teams; the Future Innovators Robotics Showcase, displaying designs from Chicago-area high school teams; and the Workforce Development Pavilion, where companies can connect with students from PMMI education partner schools.

Registration is now open for PACK EXPO International’s return to McCormick Place, Nov. 3-6, 2024, in Chicago. Early-bird registration is $30 until Oct. 11, after which it increases to $130. For further information and registration, visit packexpointernational.com.

Sydney, Australia, 28 May 2024 — Building on its ongoing relationship with TNA solutions, Majans leveraged the all new tna ropac® 5 technology to automate its case packing operations. At a capacity of 200 bags per minute, and featuring a bag conditioner, case packer, case erector and checkweigher, it is the fastest case packing system on the market today, with the smallest footprint. Since its deployment it has helped to deliver an impressive 140% throughput increase in just 12 months.

Established in 1984, Majans produces over 2 million cases of snacks each year across a range of 53 products. The company has ambitious growth plans, and with a tough labour market and volatile supply chains to navigate, it needed a trusted partner to help increase throughput and reliability, enhance uptime and mitigate risk. Manufacturing Manager Andrew McManus had already experienced TNA solutions in operation during his time at Mars and was reassured when Majans’ owner, Kam Raniga, selected the company to help future-proof operations.

“I’d seen TNA baggers working perfectly after 40 years of service, and I knew we were on track when we made the decision to partner with TNA at Majans. With a TNA flavouring system and tna robag® baggers already in place, we knew we would benefit from the interchangeable aspects of a TNA solution for case packing - particularly from an electronics perspective, and also the consistency of the HMI interface for our technicians. Introducing tna ropac® 5 systems has enabled us to improve operational efficiency, redistribute manpower and future-proof our operations as we look to continue our growth path.”

Majans currently uses around 70% of the tna ropac® capacity of 200 bags per minute, but through working with TNA solutions the company has ensured that future increases have been firmly factored into the equation. Since its introduction in February 2023, throughput performance has increased by 140% and uptime by 15%. From a sustainability perspective, the tna ropac® 5 is also able to accommodate the company’s plans to move to paper-based packaging in 2024, supporting its sustainable development plans without impacting production speeds.

“Just five years ago, Majans regularly had between 28 and 35 people on a single shift, bagging, mixing and case packing,” continued Andrew. “Today, with the help of TNA solutions, that same factory operates with just 10-11 people per shift at outputs up to 6.9 times greater than before the automation process began. Casual jobs have been transformed into stable, full-time employment contracts, and technicians and maintenance crews have also been upskilled to effectively service and support these systems at a higher technology level.”

Speaking about the strategic partnership between the two companies, Thiago Roriz, Chief Operating Officer at TNA solutions said: “In recent years, we have further strengthened our market leadership through sustained innovations, delivering true business value to our valued customers, such as Majans. We are extremely grateful to Majans for choosing us as their trusted partner, to support their goals as they focus on their expansion strategy.”

To read the full case study on TNA solutions’ partnership with Majans, click here.