RALEIGH — SinnovaTek, a Raleigh-based food technology company, has officially opened its flagship precision-scale aseptic food co-packing facility — “the first of its kind in the world,” it said.
Called FirstWave, the facility provides a platform for companies and entrepreneurs to launch and test new products in a high-quality high acid and low acid aseptic format without the minimum order quantities that are normally required for a launch.
It also uses SinnovaTek’s patented continuous flow microwave heating, the thermal exposure, minimizing the degradation of the food product, ideal for processing fruit and vegetable products, coffee, smooth soups, and smoothies.
“FirstWave is unique in the food production industry, as small-scale food co-packing and commercial facilities like FirstWave are extremely rare for shelf stable foods,” the company said per its release. “To support entrepreneurs in the food industry, FirstWave can assist with every step of the process from concept to store shelf.”
In addition, it provides an opportunity to reduce food waste and farm waste by utilizing foods and by-products, which would have otherwise been destroyed, in a more effective way.
“Amid the pandemic, we have seen a large gap between food excess on farms and the need for food assistance in communities,” says Amanda Vargochik, SinnovaTek co-founder & VP of Innovation. “With FirstWave, we can help bridge that gap with a unique model that is built with agility in mind. We have the capacity to breathe new life into food ingredients by upcycling food waste and to support small businesses by giving them an avenue to create a value-added product without the risk of large scale.”
The company is also hiring.
“So far, they have hired 6 and expect to add at least 4 more by the end of the year,” said spokesperson Liza Deckelbaum. “They expect to have 20-30 employees at FirstWave in the next year.”
