In response to growing business demands, Green Plant LLC recently purchased its second Hiperbaric HPP machine in six months, the new 525 is the largest available equipment which can accommodate 10 times the capacity as the first. Green Plant is the first and only company with a High Pressure Processing (HPP) machine in Florida with the capability and technology to “cold pressure” four million bottles of juice per month, making it a go to for cold pressed juice companies from across the state.
With this major acquisition, Green Plant is responding to consumer demand and a steadily increasing “super premium beverage category” and the market for cold pressed juices. The sales of these premium fruit and veggie juices totaled $2.25 billion in the U.S. in 2015 and have increased by 58% since 2004. As demand for healthier products increases, more juice companies are emerging in the market. As a result, the proper equipment is needed to cultivate high quality, healthy beverages and supply them to these companies, and Green Plant is at the helm of this movement in South Florida. In addition to HPP, Green Plant also develops and co-packs a variety of beverage products.
“It’s incredible how quickly HPP technology has evolved and the demand that we have witnessed for cold-pressed juices over the past six months. Juice companies drive six hours just to use our technology because we are the only ones providing this service in Florida,” said Jaime Nicolas-Correa, Director of Hiperbaric USA & Global VP of Sales.
HPP refers to the process by which fresh food products, including juices, are preserved by submerging the product under 6,000 atmospheres of pressure, eliminating harmful bacteria such as salmonella, listeria and more, while keeping the product “raw”. By removing this bacteria, this process ensures that the juice maintains its integrity, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. The process of this extremely high water pressure allows the juice to stay “fresh” without altering the taste or quality, and can even extend its shelf life up to two to three times longer than traditional preservation methods.
Green Plant will take this process one step further by marking all juices with a “Cold Pressure Verified” logo in order to validate that the method used to cold press did not use heat and preservatives, nor alter the flavors of the juices. This logo is an additional measure to make sure all of Green Plant’s customers know that they are consuming only the highest quality products.