Transcript Applesauce

Applesauce
❧
Jennifer Yeon Hee Kim (2013840398)
Dianna Lee (2013840145)
Margarita Payton (2013840324)
Kavin Ho (2013840098)
Background
❧
• Owned by Knouse Foods
• Produces canned fruit and vegetables
• One of the leading applesauce brands in America
• Motto: "Quality You Can Taste" (2)
• 7 operating plants
• 5 in South Central Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia
What is Applesauce?
• Pureed Apples
❧
• Mixed with sugar & spices (cinnamon & allspice)
• Used by many European countries.
• Can be used to cook/bake
• Can be eaten as a side
• Can be eaten as a dessert
• Known as comfort food (1)
• Enjoyed by people of all ages (1)
• Works as a healthy substitute for oil (1)
Process
•
❧•
Dumped into tank for
mixing and goes across
conveyer to remove as
many leaves as possible
before entering the process
Transferred from grater
into washing area and
inspection area
Process cont.
❧
• Apples after the
inspection area
• Blend
• Brush washer
o
o
rotates the apples
chlorinated water
Process cont.
❧
• Look for apples with...
Apples are rotated
•
• Cleans all surfaces of
apple
• Water is sprayed
o
o
o
decay
leaves
marks
• Thrown out or juiced
Process cont.
❧
• Wheel
o
o
continuously turns
the apples
gets rid of inner
cavity
• Peel apples (95%
gone)
• Remnants of peel
•
Process cont.
❧
Transferred into
chopper
• Whole apple -->
chopped
o
o
uniformity
get steam into apple
Process cont.
❧
Go up conveyer
•
• Live steam injection
cooker
• High pressure steam line
that allows steam to go
into center of cooker
• stainless steel conveyer
that agitates and mixes
the apple
• held for 2-3 min. max
• makes it soft
• prepares it for finishing
Process cont.
❧
• Finisher
o
o
o
o
Finishing process
rotating paddle inside
all stainless steel
applesauce is screened
through separation device
and waste is removed
Process cont.
❧
• Can filler
• Blending kettle
o
o
o
maintains uniformity
#10 filler
government service
and food service
industry
•
Process cont.
❧
Coded cans
• Cans go through a
o
to designate product
to know what or when
a particular can was
produced
twist
• Hot applesauce
sterilizes the lid
• 1-2 minutes
•
Process cont.
❧
Conveyer provides
• Continuously stack
sterilization time
• Allows product to be
elevated and cooled
four ounce cups for
cinnamon sauce
• full time job
Process cont.
❧
• Cup filler
• Transferred to be
closed with aluminum
lid
• Timed
• Sequenced
Applesauce Industry
•
❧
Applesauce is hypothesized by many to be:
o mature stage of product lifecycle
o low growth potential
o boring commodity, used as side dish or accompaniment
•
•
Little to no marketing efforts by producers and
retailers
Applesauce is a basic item, low product
differentiation and low technology
o Extremely high competition due to low barriers to entry
o Applesauce is mainly sold on the basis of price
Challenges Outline
❧
• Marketing Challenge
• Quality vs. Efficiency Challenge
• Packaging Sustainability Challenge
Marketing challenge
•
•
•
•
❧
Unable to compete on price
Easily substituted product, and have many
substitutes (How to differentiate themselves?)
Producers and retailers have little incentive to invest
in marketing
Need to increase sales, customer brand loyalty &
perceived value of using the product
Possible Improvements
❧
•
Bundling
o entice customers to buy more --> increased sales
•
Educate customers on uses of Applesauce
o increases perceived value of usage
o increases product & brand loyalty
•
New product development
o more variety = better customer service --> increased
potential sales
What They Do
•
❧
Improve sales via bundling
• Educate customers on
uses of Applesauce
o Recipes provided on
website
•
New product development
o e.g. chunky, natural,
cinnamon
o packaging (i.e. single serve)
Quality vs. Efficiency
Challenges
❧
• Maintaining product quality while increasing resource
efficiency
• Maintaining quality = increased costs
• Reliant on Apples
• 2012 : warm winter and cold spring caused a decrease in
•
apple crops (5)
No resources can be wasted
Current Method
•
❧
Quality check-points & other use of disposed parts of
apple
•
Check-points : second round of de-leafing/finding
damaged apples
•
•
•
Labor costs
Production time
Apple scraps used in other productions
•
•
•
Peel, core, leftovers sent to juice pressing
Pressing leftovers used as cattle feed
Waste reduced by 80-90% (6)
Commendable
❧
• Little room for improvement - already a mature
system
• Further improvements = new technology?
o
o
Invest in future technology to cut out check-points
Invest in technology for preserving apples
Packaging Sustainability
❧
Packaging factors
- retortable, peelable packaging
- convenience of use
- prolonged shelf life of the product
- container lightweight
- heat resistance
- biodegradable materials
- sustainable package coating
Complying with
Sustainability Practices
❧
- Shift from glass and rigid plastic containers towards
more sustainable packaging.
- Currently used packaging:
• convenient single-serving plastic cups
• family size plastic jars
However, Musselman's have not yet adopted an
innovative packaging: spouted pouches
Improvement Suggestion
❧
Adoption of the spouted pouches and innovative
packaging materials
- polyglycolic acid (PGA)
Advantages of innovative packaging
• oversized resealable cap provides convenience
• all polypropylene pouch is 100% recyclable
References
❧
1. "Applesauce." Applesauce. U.S. Applesauce Industry, n.d. Web. 31
May 2013.
2. "Through the Years." Musselman's. Knouse Foods, n.d. Web. 31 May
2013.
3."Sustainability Efforts." Musselman's. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2013.
4.“Packaging Materials Innovation.” Food Engineering Magazine. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 June 2013.
5. "Central New York." The Post-Standard. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2013.
6. "Knouse Foods Takes Steps Toward A Brighter Tomorrow." Press
Release Distribution, EDGAR Filing, XBRL, Regulatory Filings.
BusinessWire, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 June 2013.
The End
❧