OVER 50 YEARS AGO

The company has a rich history that dates back to 1972, when Grandfather A. Vermeulen established "Het ei van de boerderij", a layer hen farm in Tilburg, at a time when more and more farmers specialized their agricultural business. Over the years, the family business has grown, with Peter and Carolien Vermeulen taking over in 1997 and their son Stef now running the day-to-day operations.

The company positions itself within a niche. With full control over the whole supply chain, the company creates a competitive advantage, ensuring their customers a high level of flexibility, reliability, and fast delivery times. In short: a perfect fit for the catering business, restaurants, and bakeries in The Netherlands and Belgium looking for quality over quantity.

ADAPTING TOP MARKET DEMAND WITH MODERN LIQUID EGG PASTEURIZATION

To keep up with the growing demand for pasteurized egg products, Vermeulen Eieren knew they needed to upgrade their pasteurization process. Compared to the output of the final product, a lot of manual work shaped the process until now. That also included a more sterile filling solution to prevent listeria bacteria in the product. With the need for more automation and regulations becoming stricter, they began searching for a more efficient solution.

After researching multiple suppliers, they decided to go with SANOVO and their unique PrimeLine solution for their specific liquid egg pasteurization requirements. For the best-in-class filling, they found the most suitable solution in Galdi, a great partner in many SANOVO projects. The pasteurized liquid egg is packaged in 1 liter cartons or 10 liter bag-in-boxes. 

“SANOVO is the go-to company for liquid egg processing in general. We were in touch with a couple of companies, but they had the best solution and most knowledge to move the project forward”, says Stef Vermeulen. He continues: “They took us to a producer in Luxembourg with a similar setup as the one we wanted to implement. SANOVO was great in consulting us with very useful tips on how to get the most out of a liquid processing solution. Even during the project, we asked for some last-minute changes, which we got implemented without problems. We got the perfect design for our needs.”

The PrimeLine solution, with 1.500 liters/hour capacity, is fully customized to fit Vermeulen Eieren’s needs. Three raw product tanks and the ultra-clean buffer tanks, are options usually not standard and were designed specifically for the project together with the full integration of the Galdi filling line, the bag-in-box supplier and glycol cooling loop.

“One of the major benefits of the SANOVO Primeline is that it is so easy to operate. There is just one display where you can operate the complete circuit with a push of a button to start the process. And of course, we could remain our product quality standards with the new machine from the beginning”, highlights Stef Vermeulen.

SANOVO PrimeLine unit in the pasteurization room

SANOVO PrimeLine, tank units in separate room to fit the specific plant layout

BREAK-DOWN OF THE PRODUCTION CYCLE

With its PrimeLine solution, Vermeulen Eieren is able to maintain its high standards of product quality, while also streamlining its daily routine. The machine runs 1 full day a week with only three people, producing approximately 8.000 liters of pasteurized egg product in their specific case.

“We usually start with a sterilization of the machine before we start production. This process takes up to around 2.5 hours in the morning and is fully automated. While the PrimeLine is getting ready, we start with egg breaking and filling up the tanks with the raw product. Then, after 3-4 hours of runtime, we have our pasteurized and filled liquid egg product. After production, the CIP cycle starts and cleans the system”, explains Stef Vermeulen.

He continues: “This is just great, because we save a couple of hours with the PrimeLine by just a push of the button, whereas previously my dad was busy for the full day with our previous pasteurizer.

AN INNOVATIVE, GROWING BUSINESS

Vermeulen Eieren has transformed their pasteurization process with the help of SANOVO's PrimeLine, allowing them to maintain their high standards of quality and continue growing their successful family business.

Take a look at Vermeulens website and their innovative products: https://www.vermeuleneieren.nl/