Westfalia Fruit, a leading multinational supplier of avocados and a range of fresh vegetables and fruit, will showcase a series of groundbreaking initiatives that demonstrate its ongoing commitment to innovation and sustainability at Fruit Attraction 2025 in Madrid (30 September – 2 October). From pioneering research in varietal development, to advancing sustainable supply chain solutions and driving market growth through insights and customer collaboration, visitors to the stand will be able to explore how Westfalia continues to set new standards for the fresh produce industry worldwide.

Highlights at this year’s show will include:

Unveiling the world’s largest avocado variety library: creating the avocados of tomorrow

• Westfalia will unveil its unprecedented avocado variety library, the largest of its kind in the world and the foundation of the company’s Orchard of the Future. Containing more than 140 unique avocado cultivars, this living collection is driving a new era of innovation. Advanced DNA technologies, AI and precision breeding are being used to create the avocados of tomorrow, tailored to evolving consumer tastes, new markets and the challenges of climate change.

Pioneering post-harvest sustainability: extending shelf-life and reducing food loss

• Westfalia will also showcase its collaboration with Swiss agri-tech innovator AgroSustain, presenting sustainable breakthroughs in post-harvest innovation. Together, the companies are trialing Afondo, an edible coating that extends avocado shelf-life while reducing food loss and cutting fungicide use by more than 50 percent. The partnership opens new opportunities for both local and international growers and distributors to extend shelf-life while reducing reliance on chemical treatments.

From supply to strategy: meet the team driving collaborative market growth

• Visitors will have the chance to meet Dani Busseni who recently joined Westfalia as Global Head of Customer Marketing and Development and the newly established Customer Development Team. The team brings together market insights, commercial strategy, and category management expertise to drive long-term growth. By transforming data into actionable strategies and working closely with leading retailers and foodservice partners, the team is unlocking new opportunities across both fresh and convenience avocado segments. This initiative marks an important step in Westfalia’s commitment to building the future of the category collaboratively, supporting customer success and grower sustainability.

“Fruit Attraction is one of the most important stages for our industry, and this year we are proud to showcase the innovations that will shape the avocado category for decades to come,” said Wim Destoop, Chief Customer Officer Westfalia Fruit. “From breeding the avocados of the future to developing sustainable supply chain solutions and collaborating with our customers, we are committed to driving growth in a way that benefits consumers, retailers, and growers alike.”

Together, these highlights demonstrate how Westfalia is continuing to reimagine the future of the avocado industry. Innovation, sustainability, and collaboration are embedded in the company’s ethos, ensuring it consistently brings fresh solutions that enhance the market, create value for partners, and support the long-term growth of the category.

Visit Westfalia Fruit at Fruit Attraction 2025 in Madrid, (30 September – 2nd October Hall 10, 10C07), to discover these innovations and explore how the company is shaping the future of avocados worldwide.

By Antonio Guillermo Jara Ponce, Systems Sales Manager, HRS Heat Exchangers

Heat exchangers are key components in many processes in the food industry, from heating and cooling to pasteurization, sterilization and evaporation. They come in many forms, from the simplest plate heat exchangers to corrugated tube-in-tube and scraped surface designs. With so many different food and drink products in production across the globe, choosing the right heat exchanger for the right product and the right process is vital, not only to ensure effective processing and optimum product quality, but also to maximize operational and energy efficiency. 

This is particularly true when dealing with viscous foodstuffs (such as honey, mayonnaise, syrups, purees and nut butters). They require more energy to pump and move and often have a higher potential to foul pipework and heat exchangers, reducing heat transfer and operational efficiency. However, as their texture and viscosity are also important quality characteristics, it is important that processing equipment, including heat exchangers, does not change or disrupt them during production.

What is meant by viscosity?

When considering different sorts of viscous food and drink materials, it is useful to clarify what we mean by viscosity. It is normally defined as a measure of a substance’s resistance to motion under an applied force, based on the amount of force required to remove one layer in relation to another (shear stress) and the change in speed of the layers relative to each other (the shear rate). It is measured in units called centipoise (cP) with one cP being equal to 1 mPa sec-1 (millipascal per second). For example, depending on temperature, milk may have a typical viscosity between one and 20 cP, while molasses may be 5,000 – 10,000, ketchup (which thins when sheared) 10,000 – 18,000 cP, and peanut butter as much as 250,000 cP.

However, the viscosity of different products can change as they are subjected to different levels of sheer stress and temperature. Because of this, most fluids are classified as being either Newtonian, or non-Newtonian. Newtonian fluids have the same viscosity irrespective of changes in temperature or shear stress – the most common example of this is water. Non-Newtonian fluids (which can then be sub-divided into five different categories) have viscosities which fluctuate depending on the shear rate applied.

In practice, this means that when dealing with non-Newtonian products (such as cheese, cream, batter or custard, and certain fat-free products), elements of the processing operation – including pumping, heating, cooling and passing through pipework – all have the potential to affect a product’s viscosity and end quality if not handled correctly.

Corrugated tube heat exchangers: design & selection

Choosing the correct type of heat exchanger, together with careful system design, helps avoid such problems. Corrugated tube heat exchangers, such as those designed and produced by HRS, ensure that delicate products such as cream can be processed efficiently without damage. This is because the corrugated tube design helps minimize fouling, increasing thermal efficiency during operation, and extending operational periods between cleanings. In addition, corrugated tube heat exchangers have a lower pumping requirement than smooth tubular heat exchangers due to their compact nature, which results in a lower pressure drop. This helps to increase operational life while reducing maintenance costs compared with other types of heat exchanger.

Products with low or medium viscosities, such as milk, thin sauces, soups and creams, fruit and vegetable juices and purees, can usually be efficiently processed in multi-tube corrugated heat exchangers, like the HRS MI Series. These feature multiple tubes that carry the product within a large vessel which contains the service fluid. Where products contain pieces or particulates, such as fruit and vegetable dices, then a double-tube heat exchanger, like the HRS DTA Series, is recommended. In a double-tube heat exchanger, one large tube carries the product, so there is less chance of blockage and fouling by the particles contained in the food product.

For products such as thick sauces, honey and syrups, an annular-space heat exchanger like the HRS AS Series is preferable. These consist of three or four concentric tubes, with the product flowing through the annular space between the tubes and the service fluid flowing through the inner and outer tubes to ensure even heating and cooling. This arrangement increases both heat transfer and energy efficiency and minimizes potential fouling.

Scraped surface heat exchangers for the toughest challenges

For the most viscous products, the use of corrugated tubes will not be sufficient to prevent fouling or maintain movement through the exchanger. In these cases, scraped surface heat exchangers (SSHEs) are ideal, particularly for evaporation. At HRS we produce two types of SSHE: the rotating HRS R Series, which includes a unique spiral scraper bar system and baffle placement; and the HRS Unicus Series, which uses a reciprocating movement to mix the fluid whilst cleaning the heat exchange surface.

For extremely viscous products and demanding applications, such as nut butters, a heavy-duty version of the R Series, the HRS RHD Series has been developed. This comprises all the features and benefits of the standard R Series but with increased motor size and scraping rods, together with extra mounting supports for the scrapers and motor.

The separate hydraulic action of the Unicus Series means that the speed of the scrapers (which are available in a number of different designs) is highly controllable and can be optimized for the product being processed. Materials which are susceptible to shear stress or pressure damage can therefore be handled gently to prevent such damage while still providing high levels of heat transfer.

Between our range of corrugated tube heat exchangers, and the three models of SSHE, HRS has a heat transfer solution for any viscous food product, including condensed milk, tomato paste, purees, juice concentrates, honey, butter, margarine, nut butter, chocolate, sauces, minced meats, and many more.

For more information, please contact your local representative or our food systems specialists today.

Toronto, Ontario – In anticipation of World EV Day on September 9th, Coke Canada Bottling today announced a $1.2 million investment to expand its electric fleet. This announcement builds on the company’s efforts to explore innovative ways to reduce its carbon footprint through fleet electrification and alternative fuel sources.

The investment will add 10 new electric vehicles to Coke Canada’s iconic red fleet — nine electric service vans strategically deployed across the country and one electric yard tractor for its Richmond Distribution Centre.

“As a proudly Canadian, family-owned company, expanding the number of electrified vehicles we have in local communities is one of the ways we’re growing our business responsibly,” said Tony Chow, President of Coke Canada Bottling. “Today’s announcement is an important step on our journey toward a better future together.”

This latest milestone brings Coke Canada’s electric fleet to 29 vehicles nationwide, marking continued progress on an electrification roadmap. Key achievements include:

• 2022: Launch of a pilot project with three Ford E-Transit electric service vehicles in the Greater Montreal Area
• 2023: Becoming the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to pilot electric Class 8 trucks, introducing six Volvo VNR Electric trucks in Montreal
• 2024: Deployment of the company’s first electric yard tractor at its Brampton warehouse

Coke Canada’s investments in electric vehicles are part of its Toward a Better Future Together environmental sustainability plan available at www.cokecanada.com, which focuses on three key areas: Energy & Emissions, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Water use.

Herndon, Virginia; Sept. 4, 2025 – Finalists for the Technology Excellence Awards taking place at PACK EXPO Las Vegas (Sept. 29–Oct. 1; Las Vegas Convention Center) have been announced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Produced by PMMI, PACK EXPO Las Vegas is this year’s largest and most comprehensive packaging and processing event. It will showcase 2,300 suppliers offering solutions for 40+ vertical markets and cover more than 1 million net square feet of exhibition space. The Technology Excellence Awards recognize the best innovations in packaging and processing, being shown for the first time at a PACK EXPO event.

Eighty solutions suppliers submitted nominations for this year’s awards, which were reviewed by a panel of top industry professionals and narrowed down to three finalists in four categories.

The Technology Excellence Awards panelists are:

* Bob Larkin, owner, BL.PKG LLC

* David Smith, principal, David S Smith & Associates

* Diane Wolf, independent consultant, food & beverage consultant

* Robert Champion, president, InnoFlex Solutions, LLC

PMMI Vice President of Trade Shows Laura Thompson announced the finalists for each category in the following videos, which highlight each new technology.

The finalists for the 2025 Technology Excellence Awards are:

Food/Beverage

* Efficient Agitation (EA) Retort, JBT Corporation (Booth N-8612)

* Senzani U-Seal, Senzani Brevetti SPA (Booth SU-26041)

* HyperBarrier™ Paper, COPAR SMART PACKAGING (Booth SU-30098A)

View Food/Beverage finalists here.

General Packaging & Processing

* Bartelt MAG-B Horizontal Form Fill and Seal, Bartelt Packaging (Booth W-1130)

* New Volta All-Electric Adhesive Jetting Head, Robatech USA, Inc. (Booth N-8447)

* HaiPick Climb, Hai Robotics USA (Booth SU-25090)

View General Packaging & Processing finalists here.

Personal Care/Pharma

* BK-4 Precision Belt Capper with EM-980: Inline Torque Control, Kaps-All Packaging Systems, Inc. (Booth W-820)

* MLD Advanced, Syntegon (Booth N-5244)

* WLS PR-12 and PR-24 Plunger Rod Insertion and Labeling Machine for Syringes, WLS (Booth W-1152)

View Personal Care/Pharma finalists here.

Sustainability

* Comprex North America, LLC, Floco Process (Booth N-6760)

* Machine Stretch Film with 30% PCR Content, Trioworld (Booth SU-34018)

* ZeCycle Recycling Program: Closing the Loop on VCI Packaging, ZERUST Corrosion & Cleaning Solutions (Booth SU-25054)

View Sustainability finalists here.

“The Technology Excellence Awards shine a spotlight on the breakthroughs redefining packaging and processing,” Thompson says. “These innovations don’t just improve operations — they push the industry forward in sustainability, efficiency, and safety. By voting, attendees are part of the momentum shaping the future.”

Voting will begin online on Sept. 22, a week before the show starts, and run through noon on Tuesday, Sept. 30. In-person attendees are encouraged to visit the finalists’ booths and vote via the official show app or online. Winners will be announced after noon on Sept. 30.

Visit the Technology Excellence Awards page for a complete description of the finalists’ technologies and to watch the accompanying videos.

To learn more about PACK EXPO Las Vegas and to register, visit packexpolasvegas.com.