Author: Henry Chen Publish Time: 2026-09-01 Origin: Cassman
Not every project starts with a brewery. Some of the most rewarding work we do at Cassman begins with a simple question: "Can you build something that doesn't exist in a standard catalog?"
For one Irish beverage producer, that question led to a custom stainless steel solution that changed how their entire production line operated.
It was the autumn of 2025 when Henry Chen, our export sales manager at Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd., received an inquiry from Seán Murphy, the operations director of a mid-sized juice and cold beverage production company based in County Cork, Ireland.
Seán's company — Emerald Valley Beverages — had been producing fresh-pressed and cold-filled fruit juices for the Irish retail and foodservice market for over a decade. Their products were well-regarded locally: clean labels, no concentrates, short ingredient lists. The kind of juice that ends up in independent cafés, farm shops, and premium supermarket chains.
The problem wasn't the product. The problem was capacity.
Their existing mixing and holding tanks — sourced from a European equipment supplier years earlier — were aging, undersized for current demand, and increasingly difficult to clean to the food safety standards their retail buyers required. They had outgrown their infrastructure, and the cost of replacing it locally in Ireland was, in Seán's words:
"Frankly, prohibitive. We got three quotes from European suppliers. The lead times were long, the prices were high, and none of them seemed particularly interested in customizing anything."
A colleague in the food manufacturing sector had mentioned Cassman. Seán decided to reach out.
From the opening call, it was clear this wasn't a standard order. Seán didn't need fermenters or brewery vessels. He needed two specific tanks — built to precise dimensions, with specific agitator configurations — that would slot into an existing production line without requiring major facility modifications.
His requirements were detailed:
One 2,000L juice mixing tank — for blending and homogenizing juice batches before filling, with a top-mounted agitator capable of dead-angle-free mixing throughout the full vessel volume
One 9,000L juice storage and mixing tank — for bulk holding and gentle continuous agitation of finished juice ahead of the filling line, with a cooling jacket to maintain cold-chain temperature
Food-grade 304 stainless steel throughout — non-negotiable for their retail buyer audit requirements
CIP (Clean-in-Place) compatible design — spray balls, drain valves, and surface finishes that met their internal hygiene protocols
CE documentation — required for their Irish food safety compliance records
Dimensions constrained by their existing facility — the 9,000L tank had a maximum height restriction due to ceiling clearance in their production hall
That last point was the one that had stumped the European suppliers. Standard large-capacity tanks at 9,000L tend to be tall and narrow. Seán's ceiling wouldn't accommodate that. He needed a wider, lower-profile vessel — which meant a custom diameter-to-height ratio and a modified agitator shaft length to match.
This is exactly the kind of problem our engineering team exists to solve.
Our lead engineer, David Zhang, joined the project after the second call. Over the following four weeks, he worked directly with Seán and Emerald Valley's production manager to develop a solution that addressed every constraint.
Here's what we designed and built:
This tank sits at the front of Seán's filling line — the point where individual juice batches are blended to achieve consistent flavor, color, and Brix levels before bottling.
Key specifications and design decisions:
Vessel: 2,000L capacity, food-grade 304 stainless steel, inner surface mirror-polished to Ra ≤ 0.4μm — the standard required for direct food contact surfaces in EU food production environments
Agitator: Top-mounted variable-speed agitator with a custom impeller geometry designed for dead-angle-free mixing — ensuring no unmixed pockets remain at the base or along the vessel walls, regardless of fill level
Jacket: Cooling jacket on the lower vessel body, connected to Seán's existing glycol chiller circuit — maintaining juice temperature during the blending process
CIP compatibility: Integrated rotating spray ball at the top of the vessel, full-drain bottom valve with no dead legs, and all internal welds fully ground and polished for hygienic cleaning
Connections: Tri-clamp fittings throughout — tool-free disassembly for inspection and manual cleaning where required
Insulation: 50mm polyurethane foam insulation with brushed stainless steel outer cladding — maintaining temperature stability and protecting the cooling jacket efficiency
This was the more complex of the two vessels — and the one that required the most engineering collaboration.
The challenge: 9,000L in a room with a 3.8-meter ceiling clearance. Standard vessel proportions at this volume would require a tank approximately 4.5–5 meters tall. That wasn't going to work.
David's solution: a wide-diameter, low-profile vessel design — increasing the tank diameter to accommodate the volume within the height constraint, then recalculating the agitator shaft length, impeller diameter, and motor torque requirements to match the non-standard geometry.
Key specifications and design decisions:
Vessel: 9,000L capacity, food-grade 304 stainless steel, custom diameter-to-height ratio engineered to Seán's 3.6-meter maximum installed height
Agitator: Side-entry agitator configuration — chosen specifically because the wide, low-profile vessel geometry made a top-entry shaft impractical at this scale. The side-entry design delivers effective full-volume circulation with lower energy consumption
Jacket: Full-wrap cooling jacket with glycol inlet/outlet connections, sized to maintain juice at 2–4°C during extended holding periods ahead of the filling line
Insulation: 75mm polyurethane foam insulation with stainless outer shell — critical for a tank holding finished juice for up to 48 hours between filling runs
CIP system: Two rotating spray balls positioned to ensure complete coverage of the vessel interior, including the areas around the agitator shaft entry point
Level indicator: External sight glass with scale markings, plus a bottom-mounted pressure-type level transmitter for integration with Seán's production monitoring system
Legs and support frame: Adjustable leveling feet with load-rated stainless steel support legs, designed to the exact floor-to-inlet-height dimensions of Seán's existing pipework
One question Seán asked early in the process: "Why 304 and not 316? Some of our European suppliers have pushed 316 for acidic products."
It's a fair question, and it deserves a direct answer.
304 stainless steel is the global standard for food and beverage contact surfaces. It offers:
Excellent corrosion resistance against the organic acids naturally present in fruit juices (citric, malic, ascorbic acid)
High-temperature resistance — suitable for hot CIP cleaning cycles up to 85°C
Chemical inertness — no risk of metal leaching or flavor contamination under normal juice processing conditions
Full compliance with EU food contact material regulations (EC 1935/2004)
316 stainless steel offers additional resistance to chloride-based corrosion — relevant for marine environments or highly aggressive chemical processing. For juice mixing and storage at the volumes and conditions Seán was working with, 304 was the correct and cost-effective specification. We explained this clearly, and Seán appreciated the honesty.
"Most suppliers just tell you what you want to hear. Cassman told me what I needed to know."
Beyond the headline specifications, several smaller design decisions reflected the depth of our customization process:
Design Detail | Why It Mattered |
Mirror-polished interior (Ra ≤ 0.4μm) | Required by Seán's retail buyer food safety audit standard |
Side-entry agitator on 9,000L tank | Only viable solution for the low-profile vessel geometry |
Adjustable leveling feet | Compensated for slight floor gradient in Seán's production hall |
Bilingual documentation (English) | Simplified CE compliance filing with Irish food authority |
Glycol connection sizing | Matched Seán's existing chiller circuit — no new refrigeration investment needed |
Custom manway position | Positioned to allow access without obstructing adjacent equipment |
Before either tank left our factory in Qihe County, Shandong, both vessels went through our full quality control process:
Weld inspection: All welds visually inspected and pressure-tested
Surface finish verification: Interior polish confirmed to Ra ≤ 0.4μm specification
Agitator function test: Both agitator systems run under load before disassembly for shipping
Dimensional verification: All critical dimensions confirmed against the agreed drawings
Documentation package: CE declaration of conformity, material certificates (EN 10204 3.1), weld records, and dimensional inspection report — all provided to Seán before shipment
Seán reviewed the full documentation package and signed off on dispatch within 48 hours.
Both tanks were shipped by sea freight from Qingdao port to Dublin Port, with onward truck delivery to Seán's facility in County Cork.
Packaging considerations for large-format tanks:
Custom-built wooden shipping cradles, engineered to the vessel dimensions
Agitator assemblies removed and separately crated to prevent transit damage
All nozzles and connections protected with plastic caps and foam padding
Moisture-barrier film on all polished exterior surfaces
Complete packing list with itemized component weights for customs clearance
CE documentation and food contact material compliance certificates ensured smooth customs clearance at Dublin Port — no delays, no additional inspections.
Total transit time from factory dispatch to delivery at Emerald Valley Beverages: 28 days.
Seán's team handled the mechanical installation with a local contractor, supported by our detailed installation drawings and assembly instructions. The agitator re-installation on both tanks was straightforward — our drawings included torque specifications for every fastener and step-by-step shaft alignment instructions.
When a question arose about the glycol connection sequence on the 9,000L tank's jacket, David responded via WhatsApp with a marked-up diagram within two hours.
Both tanks were operational within ten days of delivery.
The first full production run through the new 9,000L storage tank processed 7,200 liters of fresh apple juice — held at 3°C for 36 hours ahead of a bottling run, with the side-entry agitator maintaining consistent temperature and Brix uniformity throughout.
"The 9,000L tank alone has changed our production planning completely. We can now buffer two full days of filling capacity, which means we've eliminated the bottleneck that was costing us production time every single week."
If you're running a juice, cider, kombucha, or beverage production operation and facing similar challenges, Seán's project offers some directly applicable lessons:
1. Custom doesn't have to mean expensive or slow.
Both tanks were designed, manufactured, and delivered within 10 weeks of order confirmation — at a price point significantly below the European quotes Seán had received for standard, non-customized vessels.
2. Facility constraints are engineering problems, not deal-breakers.
The 9,000L low-profile tank was a non-standard geometry. The right engineering partner treats that as a design brief, not a reason to walk away.
3. Food safety compliance starts with material selection and surface finish.
Mirror-polished 304 stainless steel, properly welded and documented, is not a premium upgrade — it's the baseline for any serious food production environment. Make sure your supplier understands that distinction.
4. CIP compatibility must be designed in, not added on.
Spray ball placement, drain valve positioning, and weld finish all affect how effectively a tank can be cleaned. These decisions need to be made at the design stage, not retrofitted after delivery.
5. Documentation is part of the product.
For any food producer selling to retail buyers or operating under BRC, IFS, or similar audit schemes, equipment documentation — material certificates, CE declarations, weld records — is not optional. Your equipment supplier needs to understand this and deliver it as standard.
The tanks we built for Emerald Valley Beverages are part of a broader range of food and beverage processing equipment we manufacture and customize at Cassman.
Application | Tank Type | Typical Capacity Range |
Juice processing & storage | Mixing tank, storage tank | 500L – 50,000L |
Apple cider production | Fermentation tank, brite tank | 500L – 20,000L |
Kombucha brewing | Fermenter, conditioning tank | 200L – 10,000L |
Cold beverage blending | Jacketed mixing tank | 500L – 15,000L |
Dairy & plant-based beverages | Insulated storage tank | 1,000L – 30,000L |
All vessels are available in food-grade 304 stainless steel (316L available on request), with full customization of dimensions, jacket configuration, agitator type, insulation, and connection layout.
Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd. was established in 2016 and operates from a 10,000㎡ manufacturing facility in Shandong Province, China. Equipped with laser cutting machines, CNC machining centers, automatic welding systems, and automatic polishing machines, we manufacture to international food safety and pressure vessel standards.
Our equipment carries CE-PED, ISO, and TUV Rheinland certifications and has been exported to 60+ countries, including Ireland, France, Germany, the United States, Australia, and Kazakhstan.
Whether you need a single custom tank or a complete processing line, our team of 10+ senior engineers and 8 dedicated after-sales service personnel will support your project from first drawing to final commissioning.
Email: inquiry@cassmanbrew.com
WhatsApp/WeChat: +86 18560016154
Website: www.cassmanmachine.com
Published by Henry Chen | Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd. | August 2025
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