Sharon Spielman, Food Engineering (SS): Tell me briefly about Safety Fresh Foods and Healthy Roots brands.

Mark Maglio (MM): Safety Fresh Foods is a provider of high-pressure processing to the food and beverage industry, located in Plymouth, Wis. We focus on bringing innovation and customer service to an otherwise commoditized market. Our goal is to help clients develop custom solutions that best fit their product and budget.

Healthy Roots is a cold-pressed juice company, focused on making consumption of fruits and vegetables delicious and universally accessible to as many consumers as possible. We very intentionally source the freshest produce to ensure peak flavor and nutrition in each bottle.

The Maglio family is proud to own both Safety Fresh Foods and Healthy Roots. This vertically integrated model allows us to provide the best value and quality to our customers.

SS: I understand you purchased an HPP machine for your products. Was Healthy Roots utilizing a toller for their products prior to this HPP installation? If so, for how long?

MM: Yes, Healthy Roots was utilizing a toller during the first year of production. We found that being a small customer at a tolling operation presented some unique challenges, both logistically and financially. This experience is what led us to start Safety Fresh Foods. We strive to provide cost-efficient solutions to every customer, regardless of size.

SS: When did the company decide to purchase its own HPP machine?

MM: Our family started Safety Fresh Foods in 2018. The increasing volume for Healthy Roots products, as well as continued demand for HPP services, drove our decision.

SS: Tell me about the cost analysis (if there was one) that made the company choose to purchase their own HPP machine.

MM: We looked at the purchase of equipment as a two-fold investment: we could reduce our operational costs for Healthy Roots, while Safety Fresh could simultaneously generate a positive return in a growing HPP market. The volume for Healthy Roots alone did not justify the purchase of an HPP machine. However, our proximity to a number of great food manufacturers in the Midwest allows us to fill those volume gaps with outside products.

SS: If you were to make lists of the pros and cons for both using a toller and owning HPP equipment, what would those lists look like?

MM: A toller allows the customer to access HPP without the major financial investment in equipment. Similarly, the customer’s product is being treated by professionals who are educated and trained in HPP services. While owning HPP equipment is an expensive undertaking, we look at it as an investment in a growing business. Safety Fresh can generate revenue for us, while also providing the flexibility to treat our own products on an as needed basis. Our tolling partners are equally as important to the long-term success of the business as our Healthy Roots products.

SS: What features were you looking for your HPP equipment to have? How did Safety Fresh Foods choose the equipment they ultimately purchased?

MM: From an equipment perspective, the Avure AV-X allows us the opportunity to expand capacity and efficiency with additional pump skids. We can essentially create redundancy within our operation by utilizing multiple sets of pumps.

Equally important to us was the team at Avure. We’ve been given tremendous access to the food science team, including Dr. Errol Raghubeer. They act as a true partner to us and our clients, from technical data to innovative solutions for our prospects and customers.

SS: Since installing your own HPP equipment, I understand Safety Fresh Foods is now a toller. Was this a factor when making the decision to purchase a machine?

MM: The opportunity to partner with other great food manufacturers in the Midwest was always a factor for us. We were optimistic that the Healthy Roots line of products would continue to grow, but acting as a toller allows us to continue to grow and bring scale to all of our customers.

SS: Can you offer any stats (financial, efficiency-wise, production-value, etc.) since installing your own HPP machine? Can you share information on the ROI for an HPP machine?

MM: The most important stat we can provide is that we have been able to bring down the overall cost of HPP services by 10-20% for our customers—Healthy Roots included. We do this by generating solutions, not simply forcing their products into our model. We approach each project as its own P&L, and provide our customers with an a la carte model to select which services they would like us to provide.

SS: What were the biggest challenges when installing your own HPP machine? How were these overcome?

MM: As with any construction project, there are a number of facets that all need to come together at the right time to keep the installation moving. We implemented a weekly call with all contractors involved to facilitate communication and proactively troubleshoot any gaps on the horizon. We also maintained very transparent lines of communication with our customers to ensure that they were engaged with the process and part of our success from Day 1.

SS: If you had to do it over, would you change anything? What advice might you offer other companies that are thinking about purchasing their own HPP equipment?

MM: We’ve learned a lot through this process. The experience and knowledge we’ve gained will be instrumental as we look to additional machines and locations. I would advise others who are considering purchasing their own equipment to understand that it really is a business within their business. It needs to be treated as such, with proper management and attention paid to it. Productive discussions with a toller about how to create the best partnership for all parties will often prove to be the better solution, both long-term and short-term. FE