Pacific Coast Producers: pioneering fruit processing in the USA

Pacific Coast Producers is an Agricultural Cooperative owned by over 150 family farms located in central and northern California (USA), specializing in canning fruits and tomatoes for private brands throughout the world.

For over 50 years, PCP has been committed to growing, canning and supplying the finest canned fruits and tomatoes meeting brand requirements of final Customers while providing world-class service at a competitive price.

PCP company, with facilities in California and Oregon, creates products and ingredients that reflect passion and attention to quality and craftsmanship. PCP believes in making healthy, sustainable, economically friendly, and flavorful products.

The need of PCP: a cutting-edge fruit processing line

Back in July 2022, PCP was looking for a supplier with capability to design and deliver a turnkey fruit processing line for apples, pears and peaches, from bins dumping all the way to final product distribution to fillers and seamers for their Lodi (CA) facility.

The goal was to produce high-quality apple sauce that not only met the stringent USDA requirements for “grade A apple sauce” status but also achieved superior extraction yields exceeding 97%.

Pacific Coast Producers and CFT enhance fruit processing line

Following several preliminary meetings between the two teams to nail down the basic layout and general P&ID, in June 2023 CFT guided a delegation from PCP on a technical tour to a couple of Chilean facilities running successfully with CFT technology and achieving top-class products that are exported to the US as well as other countries.

The capacity to work on tailor-made projects, the portfolio of patented technical solutions, the high yields, and the outstanding quality of the final products convinced PCP that CFT was the right partner to design and build their new fruit processing line for Lodi (CA).

The CFT fruit processing line

The CFT line is composed of the following:

• Fruit receiving and washing from bins
• Apple and pear processing line for 25 tons per hour infeed featuring Giubileo extractors and Zenith enzyme deactivation system
• Possibility to process peaches at 15 tons per hour
• Patented apple sauce technology
• Featuring fiber add-back system for increased yield in apple puree as well as apple sauce sweetening and distribution.

A versatile fruit processing line

The fruit processing line designed for PCP can process the following high-quality products:

• s/s apple puree
• s/s apple sauce (grade A)
• s/s peach puree

A look at the fruit processing market

In 2022, the global juice market was valued at EUR 131.1 billion, equating to 68.6 billion liters. The fruit processing industry is experiencing significant shifts, with North America leading the global juice market in value at EUR 37.6 billion. Meanwhile, Latin America is showing the highest growth potential over the 2022-2027 period with a 4.3% CAGR. New trends in North America emphasize introducing healthier product variants, as consumers increasingly seek options with fewer calories, sugar, and additives.

These market dynamics underscore the importance of innovation and quality in fruit processing, aligning perfectly with Pacific Coast Producers’ commitment to producing high-quality, sustainable, and flavorful products. With the introduction of their new, cutting-edge fruit processing line from CFT, PCP is well-positioned to meet these evolving market demands and continue their legacy of excellence in the fruit processing industry.

Source: https://ifu-fruitjuice.com/page/globalregionaljuicemarketreport23