“As a process equipment supplier, Gpi really knows what they’re talking about. They delivered a tailor-made, user-friendly, automated soup processing line that fulfilled all our wishes.”
A year and a half after the idea was first conceived in 2019, it is now a reality. This autumn, the first Soupy soups rolled off the production line, ready to make their way to fresh soup lovers. Gpi De Gouwe helped to create an automated stainless steel cooking kettle processing line. As well as producing delicious soups, the cooking kettles are very easy to use. This was a priority for Soupy.
“We came across Gpi De Gouwe while searching for industrial stainless steel cooking kettles”, explains Jan Schipper, the owner of Soupy. “We had a good feeling from the very first conversation with them. As a process equipment supplier, Gpi really knows what they’re talking about. They delivered a tailor-made, user-friendly, automated soup processing line that fulfilled all our wishes.” The supplied process equipment consists of four stainless steel cooking kettles. Two of these are tiltable stock tanks and two are soup kettles with top entry gate agitators and static dispersion mixers. All kettles can be individually cleaned using CIP (Cleaning In Place). In addition, not only the pipework, steam (trapping) stations, stairs, railings and elevated walkways were supplied by Gpi, but also the control/automation and installation of the process line.
“We were greatly impressed by the pleasant contact, the professionalism and the focus on finding solutions while working with Gpi. Gpi is a company that keeps its word”, explains the owner of Soupy.
Sustainably produced soup with a twist
Soup is a very popular product. It makes an excellent meal and is also very suitable as a snack or for lunch. However, really fresh soup is hard to find in stores these days. Soupy is changing this. “What makes our soup unique in the market is that we make the stock overnight using fresh ingredients. Thanks to this unique slow cooking process, the vegetables retain their fibre, minerals, vitamins and taste. The result is a very tasty, natural stock, and you can taste it!” explains Jan Visser, head of production, enthusiastically. “Good soup relies on good stock. We also avoid adding E numbers, unnecessary salt and other additives to our soups. The result is a really fresh soup with a pure taste. We also only use fresh vegetables. For example, almost half of our tomato soup consists of fresh quality tomatoes. It’s no surprise then that our soups contain up to 75% of the daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vegetables (250 grams).”
Making sustainable choices is also important during the production process. The process uses only green energy and the Soupys are packaged in bio-based plastic with the ‘I’m Green’ hallmark, which indicates that the packaging is very easy to recycle. Around 50% of the packaging is made from sugar cane, which means the raw materials are climate positive. “Sustainability plays a major role in the development and production of our soup. For example, we believe it’s important to source as many of the ingredients as possible from the local area to keep the number of ‘Food Miles’ to a minimum, to limit emissions and energy consumption and to support local farmers”, explains Jan Schipper.
About the client
Soupy, based in Oud-Beijerland, produces really fresh soup from stock made overnight from natural ingredients and without unnecessary additives. The range of 12 unique but accessible recipes includes several 100% vegan varieties. The soups are available in the chilled section in supermarkets and from specialist outlets such as butchers and greengrocers. The team currently consists of five motivated and enthusiastic employees. They can’t wait to introduce you to the Soupys from Soupy.