Jam and sauce maker Beerenberg has opened a 6500 square-metre factory as part of a $14 million-plus transformation over three years.
Other changes have included the addition of new offices and a warehouse on land that the Paech family has farmed since 1839.
The new factory, in the Adelaide Hills, was opened this week by Beerenberg managing director Anthony Paech, who said new equipment would allow it to increase production capacity past 15 tonnes of product in an eight-hour shift.
Paech said the new line, which is expected to double capacity, would handle 60,000 bottles in a shift and is a mix of old and new equipment.
It was designed and built by a team from Beerenberg in partnership with packaging equipment manufacturer Recopak, which is based in Cobram, Victoria.
Recopak’s involvement comprised the supply of 12 new items of machinery, four relocated machines, more than 150 metres of conveyor, and a complete line control system comprising three zones, each with colour-touch panels for operator interface.
Other additions include two DC Norris cooking kettles, manufactured in England, which allow control of batch temperature and weight, and faster turnaround time between batches, according to Paech.
The Beerenberg Family Farm's 75 products are available in 24 countries, including Singapore, China and Japan, and can be found on major airlines and in more than 300 hotels globally.
The new facility enables more control over the cooking and bottling of product, allowing Beerenberg to craft a higher quality of product in larger volumes, Paech said.
Sales have been growing by more than 30 per cent, mostly due to fresh labelling introduced in late 2013, he added.
