• Artisan cheese producer switches from centrifugal pump to MasoSine Certa 400 and wins international award
  • Assurance of no damage to the product due to gentle pumping action
  • Pump investment has led to better quality of cheese, improved yield, and expansion of lines

When Greenfields Dairy Products Ltd needed to replace an aging pump from another supplier, the family-run cheesemaker contacted Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS) to discover its options.Greenfields, which specializes in the craft of award-winning traditional cheese, decided to introduce a MasoSine Certa 400 pump from WMFTS into its operation which processes up to 10,000 liters of milk per batch of cheese.

The MasoSine Certa pump has improved reliability and yield in Greenfields’ cheese production, while also reducing energy at a time of rising costs.

MASOSINE CERTA PUMP

After adding the energy-efficient MasoSine Certa pump for the transfer of curds and whey across its facility in Lancashire, England, Greenfields won gold for several of its cheeses at the International Cheese Awards in the summer of 2022.

Steven Procter, managing director at Greenfields, says, “We had been using the same pump since 1985. We need a pump to transfer the curds and whey across the facility because we are on one level whereas a lot of cheese making facilities are on different levels and can rely on gravity to transfer curds and whey. “It was a massive task to find a new pump and we looked at all the different types. It’s a big investment for a company of our size and it only gets used for between one and four hours per week. 

“It was all about the technology. It’s a lot safer for us to use the MasoSine Certa because if you damage the product, it can lose yield and that could affect the quality and certainly our profitability. By using the MasoSine Certa, it has made our operation better and in terms of yield. If we were to damage the curds and whey, we would lose some of the solids, so we have to be gentle with the pumping.” 

HOW IT WORKS

“The MasoSine Certa works on a variable speed supply,” adds Procter, “but we couldn’t alter the speed of the previous pump. Now we can speed up or slow down the transfer of curds and whey with no damage. The clean-in-place (CIP) is brilliant too, it’s really easy to use and is suitable for our business.

“We are only a small family business, and I would recommend the MasoSine Certa to other independent artisan cheesemakers because it’s working for us. It should last for a lifetime and gives us an assurance of quality of product and reliability.

“We make about twenty-five different varieties of cheeses. We were winning awards for our cheese before we introduced the MasoSine Certa pump, and we have continued to win awards after installing the MasoSine Certa pump for our cheeses.”

MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS

Greenfields’ continued success illustrates how MasoSine Certa pumps from WMFTS can be successfully utilized by independent, artisan, or farmhouse dairies, as well as the big producers.

The MasoSine Certa 400 offers greater energy efficiency over other pump technologies which gave Greenfields’ added value and improved ROI. MasoSine pumps typically require up to 50 percent less power than conventional pumps used in viscous fluid handling duties. 

Dave Cole, food and beverage sector specialist–north at WMFTS UK, adds, “When I first met Steven at Greenfields, he was looking to renew his equipment and it was evident he had already done his research and knew the technical benefits of our MasoSine Certa pump. His concerns were now around any product quality impact the new pump would have on his proven artisan process, compared to his long-trusted existing equipment. 

“Through Steven’s own pump trials, our technical expertise to guide his final specification selection and our mutual understanding of his business needs, he gained the confidence to press ahead with his purchase of the MasoSine Certa 400.”

THE MAKINGS OF A CHAMPION

In 2015 Greenfields won the Supreme Champion at the International Cheese Awards and seven years later won another award at the same event for its Crumbly Lancashire Cheese. Greenfields produces a wide range of territorial and specialty cheeses all of which are produced from locally sourced milk, with over 20 different varieties.

WMFTS supplies pumping solutions to cheesemakers of all sizes. From producing 2,000-liter vat production rates through to over 100,000 ton of cheese per year from 830 million liters of milk, WMFTS has a solution to meet the needs of food and beverage manufacturers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Greenfields is a small, traditional cheesemaker, based in the Lancashire countryside, England. It is a family-run business with an award-winning track record in the craft of fine traditional cheesemaking. From the 1930s, the family recipes have been winning prizes at major trade events in England. For more information, visit www.greenfieldsdairy.co.uk.

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS) is a world leader in manufacturing niche peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies for the life sciences and process industries. WMFTS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, with operations in forty-three countries. For more information, visit www.wmfts.com.

MODERN PUMPING TODAY, December 2023
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