RENTAL EQUIPMENT HELPS PLANT BASED-JERKY BRIDGE THE GAP

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Jul 06, 2023, 11:41 ET

FRAIN WAS ABLE TO HELP PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY TO FIND THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

CAROL STREAM, Ill., July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As we talk to startups and emerging brands throughout the food and beverage manufacturing space, arguably the most significant hurdle is figuring out how to get production scaled up—how to find a co-manufacturer or co-packer willing to work with them or how to find the capital to equip their own production lines before they've established a solid customer base.

Jack & Friends, a plant-based startup in Great Neck, N.Y., went through some headaches and heartache to find the right co-manufacturer, but then also needed to find a way to fill in the gaps in that co-man's production line. A key factor in making everything work has been the startup's ability to test out which equipment will work best for its jackfruit-based jerky recipe with rental agreements through Frain Industries.

Although meat-based jerky is not made the same as plant-based jerky, it has still helped Jack & Friends to find a co-manufacturer that already had a strong background in jerky manufacturing. "It made sense to have beef jerky manufacturers because they have all the ovens, they have the knowledge of the cook cycles and how to properly dehydrate jerky-like products," Kwong says. "More upstream in the process, it's very different. So, we had to work with their existing production lines and figure out where there were gaps that we had to fill in." Filling in those gaps has been made a whole lot easier with rental equipment from Frain Industries.

Two key pieces of equipment that Jack & Friends needed to complete the manufacturing line at the co-man were a kettle and a slicer. The co-manufacturer already had a slicer that it uses to produce meat-based jerky, of course, but it didn't quite work for Jack's needs. "It's almost like a water wheel. That works great for full cuts of meat and things like that. And we tested our ingredients on that, too. Obviously, if it would work, then there'd be no need to bring in other pieces of equipment," Kwong says. "But it wasn't giving us the right particle size and the right cut for what we needed, which is why we brought in this particular Urschel piece of equipment."

As it turned out, the first slicer that Jack & Friends tried was exactly what was needed. "We actually ended up purchasing the same unit that we were renting from Frain from Urschel because we knew that we wanted this exact piece of equipment," Kwong says. "It worked great when we rented it from Frain, so we figured it would just make sense to own it."

The kettle was a piece of equipment entirely foreign to meat-based jerky production, so Jack & Friends knew it would have to incorporate something new. "For us, the kettle was the best option because it had both mixing and heating elements, and we needed something that could provide a decent amount of shear—so mixing quite fast to make sure there was no burning on the sides and it was being properly homogenized."

Although it might seem fortuitous that the slicer was a one-and-done deal, it was also the result of guidance from Frain, Kwong notes. "We were pretty confident that that particular piece of equipment would work for us. And Frain's group, they're super knowledgeable," she says. "We had a lot of conversations like, 'This is what we're trying to do. What equipment do you have that could do this?'"

About Frain

With over 40 years in business, Frain (www.fraingroup.com) provides everything your business needs to succeed; from industry experts who are there to work their magic, to the machines, line coordination, integration, and setup. Frain offers customers flexible financing options and serves various industries: CPG, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, health & beauty, manufacturing, and contract packaging industries.

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SOURCE Frain Industries