AVE UK’s mozzarella processing line helps Fratelli Amodio bring taste of Italy to UK

A complete mozzarella ball processing line supplied by AVE UK (part of the Della Toffola Group) is helping Neapolitan cheesemakers Fratelli Amodio recreate the taste of Italy in Somerset, bypassing post-Brexit import taxes and red tape. The company can now supply UK consumers with the same taste, texture and quality they expect from an Italian-made cheese while saving on import and transportation costs, at the same time as enjoying the superior hygiene, waste reduction and productivity benefits synonymous with AVE UK’s dairy solutions.

AVE UK’s cutting-edge solution covers every stage of the mozzarella-making process. Comprising six individual systems including automatic coagulation vats, drainage trolleys, a whey recovery system, cradle coagulation vats, ricotta trolleys and salting cheese vats, it has been designed to recreate the high-spec taste, presentation and texture of traditional Italian mozzarella within a modern UK setting.

Cesco Amodio, owner and founder of Fratelli Amodio’s UK enterprise along with his brother Henry, says: “Finding a UK supplier of precision cheese-making equipment was crucial in helping us recreate authentically Italian, sustainably-produced mozzarella right here in Somerset. AVE UK’s support is vital to the success of our new operation.”

Hygiene and flexibility

Initially designed to produce 1,500kg of mozzarella per day, AVE UK’s flexible, modular solution will enable Fratelli Amodio’s business to grow with demand while retaining a compact footprint. It also gives them the option to produce other specialist Italian cheeses, such as burrata, stracchino, montasio, asiago and caciocavallo, and even hard cheeses like gouda and cheddar.

In addition to being flexible, it was imperative that the solution adheres to the strictest standards of hygiene to avoid contamination and preserve the product’s shelf life. Like AVE UK’s entire dairy offering, the Priamo range of equipment specified for Fratelli Amodio is ultra-clean and manufactured with food-grade stainless steel (meeting all EU food safety certification standards) to ensure it can withstand even the most robust cleaning and washdown regimes.

Sustainability gains

It also helps with the company’s sustainability agenda. “Our new UK base is located on the Chew Valley Dairy Farm in Somerset,” explains Cesco. “Milk from the farm’s cows will be used to make the mozzarella, increasing the sustainability credentials that are integral to our brand. Rather than using plastic, our mozzarella will be packaged in glass jars; a unique offering that we are sure our climate-conscious UK customers will appreciate. To support our sustainability agenda, the equipment supplied by AVE UK will help to reduce wastage by eliminating human error, as well as being extremely energy efficient.”

In fact, AVE UK’s equipment is intelligently designed to reduce their customers’ carbon footprint. “Our solution will enable the customer to extract more final product from their raw material,” explains Steve Bradley AVE UK’s Sales Director. “This will reduce the volumes of by-product created and increase their yield. In addition, all our equipment has the option of automated cleaning-in-place technology, saving on water and energy consumption, as well as cleaning products. This has a positive environmental impact as it reduces the load on effluent treatment and cuts power consumption, while maintaining the highest standards of hygiene.”

Avoiding increased costs and red tape

Driving Fratelli Amodio’s decision to establish a UK manufacturing base were the increased costs, delays and red tape that EU importers are incurring following Brexit. “Brexit custom requirements, compounded by Covid-19 protocols, are delaying the time it takes to get products across the border,” says Cesco. “And whereas goods could previously move freely between the UK and Europe, there are now costly import taxes to pay.”

In addition, there is also an increased amount of red tape. EU importers must apply to HMRC for an EORI number; find out the commodity code and value for the goods they want to import; and determine and pay the correct rate of duty and VAT.

Local support

In a bid to bypass these Brexit-related costs, delays and bureaucracy, Fratelli Amodio approached a number of Italian equipment suppliers to help them set up a manufacturing base in Somerset, including AVE UK’s parent company, the Della Toffola Group; an Italian-based international provider of processing and packaging machinery. Already familiar with Della Toffola’s strong reputation, the deciding factor for Cesco was the ability of Della Toffola’s UK-based subsidiary, AVE UK, to provide immediate, on-the-ground, local sales advice, equipment installation, technical support, after-care and servicing.

“Della Toffola came highly recommended to us by our Italian counterparts,” says Cesco. “Their team are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and the price-to-quality ratio was impressive. But most of all, the combination of Italian machinery – in this case, the Priamo range – and local UK support was exactly what we were looking for.”

Recreating the Italian approach

For Steve Bradley, understanding the authentic Italian mozzarella production process was critical to delivering the right solution: “The first step is to turn the milk into curd, for which we specified Priamo coagulation vats. Made of food-grade-quality stainless steel for superior hygiene capabilities, they are automated to provide precision temperature and cutting control.”

Inside the vats, the milk is pasteurised, agitated and then coagulated, before the solids (curd) are separated from the whey. To achieve this, the curd is transferred to a drainage trolley, where it is left to mature. The trolley specified by AVE UK consists of a tilting flat-bottomed tray featuring perforated sheet-metal grids, which enable the whey to successfully drain away, leaving the curd intact.

To create the elasticity for which mozzarella is renowned, the curd must then be stretched. Replicating the traditional manual process, the system supplied by AVE UK comprises mechanical arms that continuously move the curd and heat it via hot water injection, turning it into mozzarella.

The cheese is then transferred to a moulding machine, where it is shaped into the famous mozzarella balls, before being left to harden in a salting cheese vat. Essentially an automated ice bath containing a brine solution, the Priamo cheese vat is vital to the success of the finished product as it is the sudden change in temperature that causes the mozzarella to harden.

Retaining integrity

Fratelli Amodio were also keen to retain a level of traditional, artisanal cheesemaking in their production process. AVE UK’s solution successfully combines the efficiency, reliability and hygiene demands of today’s market while facilitating the hands-on approach that makes authentic Italian mozzarella so unique.

“AVE UK’s solution supports our production of authentic Italian cheese, while delivering the productivity and sustainability benefits expected with modern manufacturing,” says Cesco. “Exclusively hand-making the mozzarella would bring the potential for human error, causing wastage which goes against our ethos of being a sustainable brand. Equally, switching to mass production would dilute the authenticity of our product. With this solution, we get the best of both worlds – consistent, reliable cheesemaking with a good yield of product per hour, combined with the hands-on artisanal approach that our customers expect.”

This view is echoed by Steve Bradley: “We designed our system to dovetail traditional cheesemaking skills with cutting-edge processing techniques. Although the equipment is automated, it is the operator who sets the parameters, such as the temperate and cutting speed. It is also up to the cheesemaker to determine when the mozzarella has reached the perfect level of elasticity, ensuring the artisanal qualities of the finished product are retained.”

Additional revenue stream

AVE UK’s solution also enables Fratelli Amodio to create an additional product from the processing residues. The whey that is separated from the curd at the start of the process is often retained in Italy and used to make ricotta. Remaining faithful to this traditional approach, the system comprises a cradle vat dedicated to ricotta production. Containing an automated heat injection system featuring a steam jacket, it keeps the product at the desired temperature and ensures even heat distribution, avoiding the risk of hot spots.

Combining past and present

Due to be installed in early 2022, the new processing line will not only enable Fratelli Amodio to avoid the import taxes imposed on EU suppliers since Brexit but will also maximise their productivity rates, thanks to precision temperature and cutting control, automated production capabilities and consistency of quality. Also helping to minimise wastage during production, thereby further boosting profitability, it successfully combines the best of today’s processing expertise with heritage cheesemaking traditions.

“Innovation doesn’t have to mean creating a new technique,” says Steve Bradley. “For this project, it was essential that our solution respects and reproduces the traditional methods of mozzarella making to replicate the true flavours of Italy right here in the UK, while also incorporating the hygiene, efficiency, sustainability and reliability benefits requested by today’s market. It’s about cutting cost and waste, not taste and quality.”