Donkey Brands doubles tortilla chip output

FLOUR tortilla chip manufacturer Donkey Brands LLC has successfully doubled production volumes with a new production line from specialist food processing equipment provider FOODesign.

The Carol Stream, Illinois-based company installed FOODesign’s immerso-cook direct-fired continuous frying system to replace an outdated manual process and optimize production in line with targets to match growing demand and increase growth. In addition to complementing its pre-existing FOODesign cutting, conveying, and quik-coat seasoning systems, the new system allows Donkey Brands to leverage a faster processing line and maintain high product quality levels.

The FOODesignimmerso-cook features a state-of-the-art belt feed system and innovative continuous oil filtration process, which combined increases production while significantly cutting downtime resulting from oil changes.  

The belt feed system, which is customizable for a wide range of products including tortilla chips, optimizes throughput speeds without high product breakage risks. Its mounted mesh conveyor continuously discharges from the fryer any unpreventable waste resulting from delicate snack applications such tortilla chips, which helps ensures product quality.

Meanwhile, the system's continuous oil filtration process features particulate removal and a fresh oil infeed system to keep oil clean with. This prevents not only oil overheating but also harmful fatty acid and free radical formation, which contaminates oil and compromises the quality of the product.

Donkey Brands, a growing manufacturer and snack brand, was looking for a frying system that not only boosts production but also optimizes color, texture, and flavor. The company was confident FOODesign’s immerso-cook direct-fired continuous frying system would meet its requirements and help protect its brand legacy for great tasting tortilla chips. 

According to Robert Tisljar, partner at Donkey Brands, “With demand growing for quantity and quality, we needed a flexible frying system to build on our capabilities and enhance production capacity. Our previous line was predominantly manual and included a smaller fryer, as well as more conventional conveying systems. Looking for the best way to step into the world of automation, we saw the answer in FOODesign. The aim, quite simply, was to increase production output while at the same time improving the overall quality of our products.” 

Tim Reardon, group solutions manager – processing for the Americas, noted that the immerso-cook range is a heavy-duty, highly efficient system that can be tailored to suit a wide range of applications and processing requirements.

"Together with our service-led approach, maintenance support, and engineering knowledge, we were able to supply Donkey Brands with a reliable and high performance system that meets their exact specification – and we’re confident will continue to do so for many years to come,” Mr Reardon added.

To maintain flavor quality and seasoning coverage, Donkey Brands has also installed a FOODesign quik-coat seasoning drum. Designed for different snack product with specific sets of attributes, product structure, surface, and topography, this system effectively seasons uneven surfaces. It gently tumbles the product and disperses the right amount of seasoning evenly to ensure a consistent appearance and taste for tortilla chips. The flexible equipment can coat irregularly shaped products with ease and consistency.

Mr Tisljar stated, “As a food manufacturer, consistent flavor profiles are naturally a top priority. Without consistent quality in product flavor, consumers would lose trust in our brand. Fully equipped with FOODesign’s expertise, we were able to find the right system to allow for great taste and optimum coverage every time, while maintaining global hygiene standards.”

The FOODesign quik-coat installation used casters that can be pulled away from the production line to simplify and facilitate cleaning. The easy-to-clean system helps Donkey Brands maintain high standards of hygiene while minimizing downtime.  

“Now that the new system is up and running, we are experiencing double the production volumes, consistent seasoning application, reduced product breakage, and virtually no downtime. The whole project ran extremely smoothly and we were especially impressed with FOODesign’s exceptional level of service and flexibility in system design. Immediately, we could see the benefits of their cutting-edge manufacturing solutions which delivered the speed, performance and accuracy we were looking for, while still producing the quality tortilla chips Donkey Brands customers have come to expect,” Mr Tisljar said.

According to Mr Reardon: “We are delighted to partner with Donkey Brands to help develop a modern, automated system for their tortilla line. Our technical expertise and industry know-how equips us with the ability to create and supply innovative products to our customers worldwide, offering start-to-finish solutions for the entire production line.”