Ultra Series Spiral Cooler at Klosterman Baking
ANOTHER HISTORIC MILESTONE
by Dan Malovany, Baking & Snack, August 2019
Klosterman Baking’s newest bakery in Kentucky provides the much-needed resources to better serve its burgeoning base of regional and national customers.
In addition to developing signature restaurant items and offering popular white and whole wheat retail sandwich breads, the bakery’s diversified portfolio of more than 400 products includes artisan, organic and flatbread options, as well as branded classics such as its Klosterman Dark Rye bread and Rich ‘n Good Honey hamburger and hot dog buns.
The 190,000-sq-ft bakery now houses three lines, including a high-speed bread, bun and donut line. Overall, the bread line cranks out 15 varieties of sandwich breads at a rate of up to 180 loaves a minute and 14 types of hamburger and hot dog buns at up to 5,400 doz pieces per hour, according to Kevin Stevens, vice-president of operations.
The loaves travel on an IJ White dual-tower spiral cooler for 60 minutes. This system incorporates several new technologies, including the Track Glide Z-6000, to eliminate potential product contamination. The spiral coolers are outfitted with an IJ White high-pressure belt washing system.
The donuts travel along an IJ White spiral cooler with a 42-in.-wide belt that can handle up to 3,600 lb an hour for up to 30 minutes of dwell time for everything from holes to full-sized glazed donuts. Due to the challenges of cleaning conveyor belts for glazed products, this system incorporates dual-immersion technology for donut cooler belt-cleaning. The washing station sanitizes the belt with 140°F hot water to allow flexible production of multiple products.
We do have plans for a fourth line probably within the next 18 months,” Mr. Klosterman said. “We’ve quietly been growing over the years.”
That growth comes from the long-term relationships with its customers. “When we support their best interests with openness and trust, everyone wins,” Ms. Klosterman said.
