A new era for air-dried meat products
A Finnish food startup aims to captivate local consumers with premium cured meat products. While the flavors rival traditional Southern European delicacies, the raw materials are 100% domestic.
When Kometos took charge of designing and constructing the meat processing facilities, the new business owners were able to focus on building their brand and planning production.
🥩 Client: A Finnish growth company producing cured meats
❔ Requirements: Turnkey solution for production facilities and equipment
🎯 Objectives: Efficient use of resources: energy-saving solutions with minimal production time
🔧 Solution: Comprehensive delivery of meat processing facilities, including construction, HVAC, electrical work, and regulatory coordination
Challenge: Air-drying processes require a lot of resources
Air-drying as a production method is highly resource-intensive. Traditional processes for air-dried products are time-consuming, often requiring years to achieve optimal results. Depending on the meat type, cut size, and salting, production typically takes 3–30 months.
Throughout the process, maintaining the correct humidity, airflow, and temperature is critical. This demands significant investments in storage and production facilities, which in turn increases the end product’s price.
For new business owners, the process presents challenges such as high energy consumption and substantial production and storage capacity requirements – which cost money.
Solution: A new production method cuts processing time by one-third
The client’s production process was developed as part of an R&D project conducted by the Meat Industry Research Center in Finland. The result was a groundbreaking production technology for the industry.
The new method significantly shortens the production time compared to traditional air-drying. While maintaining the signature taste of classic air-dried ham, the new process cuts production time by one-third. Products can now be ready in just 4–8 weeks.
This represents a revolutionary shift in production. The shorter process is energy-efficient, reduces storage space requirements, and increases production capacity.
Outcome: Meat processing facilities as turnkey delivery allowed the business owners to focus on marketing their brand
When building their production facilities, the founders faced two options: manage the project themselves – including coordinating all construction tasks and permits – or entrust it to an external partner.
Although one of the founders is a pig farmer, the team had no prior experience in food production. The new production technology also added complexity to the project.
The solution emerged when the company reached out to Kometos. The proposal included a modular meat processing facility design that utilized reversed thawing technology in the production plant.
It quickly became evident that Kometos should handle the entire construction project, including HVAC, electrical work, and regulatory communications. A key factor in the decision was Kometos’ extensive international experience in food industry projects and their understanding of production-specific requirements.
Kometos’ solution was highly cost-effective, enabling the startup to focus on marketing their new brand and planning production.
Expertise and quality drive a successful partnership
One of the founders shared how Kometos set an example of excellence throughout the project.
Kometos promised expertise in the food industry and precise execution of the project. All details and costs were agreed upon in advance, and Kometos delivered as promised.
The collaboration ran smoothly, and with the company now eyeing international markets, Kometos’ global experience will be a valuable asset. The founder recommends Kometos as a trusted partner for any similar projects.
Although the client is still a micro-enterprise in the food sector, Kometos’ production solution allows the company to operate like a much larger business.
💡 Starting a new business? Contact us to leverage Kometos’ expertise and decades of experience.
