tna acquires Dutch frying line company

tna has acquired food processing company Florigo International. Florigo’s technology includes patented continuous vacuum frying lines, French fry lines, multizone fryers and technology to reduce acrylamide formation.

Combined with the recent acquisition of FOODesign, the Florigo acquisition will enable tna to further boost its processing capabilities.

Founded nearly 60 years ago in The Netherlands, Florigo specialises in the design and manufacture of frying technology for large- and medium-sized snack and French fry processing lines, including washing, de-stoning, peeling, slicing, blanching, drying, frying, cooling and freezing equipment.

Front row (L-R): Rene Verbruggen, Florigo; Alf Taylor, tna; Michiel Hendrikse, Florigo. Back row (L-R): Bob Fritz, tna; Peter Calopedis, tna.

tna anticipates that incorporating Florigo’s products into its own portfolio will enable it to supply start-to-finish single source solutions for the entire snack industry.

In addition, tna will gain access to Florigo’s engineering expertise, including the company’s patented vacuum frying and de-fatting technology. The vacuum technology enables manufacturers to cook their products at lower temperatures, preserving the natural colours, textures and flavours of the product while reportedly reducing the formation of acrylamide by up to 95%.

Vacuum frying is also suitable for products that are high in natural sugar, such as sweet potato and fruit, potentially opening up opportunities for tna’s customers to cater to the increasing demand for healthier snacks.

“The snacks market has experienced significant growth over the past few years and more and more of our customers are looking for quality equipment that can handle greater product volumes,” said tna Managing Director Michael Green.

“Together with our recent acquisition of FOODesign, the incorporation of Florigo gives us even more flexibility for offering customers a range of solutions, from smaller direct-fired batch fryers to complete French fry production lines with capacities of up to 30,000 kg/h, enabling us to deliver customised, efficient turnkey solutions to the wider snacks industry.”