Pet Treat Startup: Scaling from Lab to Production with CVD-100
A pet food startup scaled from lab-scale to commercial production with a CVD-100 freeze dryer (1m²), achieving 80kg/day output of premium freeze-dried chicken treats.
The Challenge
A pet food startup in Shenzhen had developed a premium freeze-dried chicken breast treat recipe using a small lab freeze dryer (0.1 m²), producing just 2 kg/week. With sample orders from 20+ pet stores confirmed, they needed to scale to commercial production without compromising product quality.
The Solution
We supplied a CVD-100 freeze dryer (1 m², 8–12 kg/batch). The unit uses the same freeze drying cycle parameters as their lab unit, ensuring identical product quality at 40x the batch size.
Results
| Metric | Before (Lab CVD-040) | After (CVD-100) | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch size | 0.4 kg | 10 kg | 25x larger |
| Daily output | 2 kg | 80 kg | 40x increase |
| Cycle time | 24 hours | 22 hours | Similar |
| Product quality | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Identical | No change |
| Energy per kg | 12 kWh | 8 kWh | 33% less |
| Staff required | 1 (part-time) | 1 (full-time) | Scalable |
Customer Feedback
“We were worried that scaling up would change our product. The CVD-100 delivered chicken treats that are indistinguishable from our lab batches — same texture, same color, same taste. Our pet store clients can’t get enough.” — Founder, Pet Food Startup, Shenzhen