Nut processor implements Eriez technology to help meet production demands
California-based Cache Creek Foods, which processes 50 million pounds of natural tree-nut based products annually, has implemented Eriez metal detectors and magnetic separators at its 60,000-square-foot facility in Woodland.
The production facility processes more than 25 million pounds of tree nuts per year, according to plant manager Carl Hartmangruber. Tree nuts, including almonds, cashews and hazelnuts, are conveyed through different processing lines, but each line includes Eriez magnetic separation equipment for the removal of stray metal.
For example, the milling line, which processes nuts for products such as almond milk and non-dairy yogurts, uses Eriez grate magnets to remove fine tramp metal before and after roasting. An Xtreme Liquid Line Metal Detector further eliminates any remaining metal contaminants.
“We have a continuous improvement program to meet critical control points and all HACCP regulations,” Hartmangruber said in a news release. “It’s all about providing the highest quality food products possible.
“We installed the Xtreme Metal Detectors recently and have used the Eriez magnetic separation products for some time in many of our processing lines.”
Eriez’s Orange University Mobile Training and Education Center, a 38-foot vehicle featuring hands-on equipment such as magnetic separators, vibratory conveyors, screeners and metal detectors, provided on-site demonstrations of the equipment.
“The nice thing about the Mobile Training and Education Center is that it brought a wide variety of equipment right to our front door, giving us a convenient opportunity to see it, touch it and feel it,” Hartmangruber said. “It’s so much better than looking through a computer or at a line card.”
Eriez, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, designs, manufactures, and markets separation technologies on six continents.
Cache Creek Foods is SQF 2000 Certified and meets Global Food Safety Initiative standards. Third-party audits and comprehensive traceability measures help guarantee product safety.
