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Salsa manufacturer takes the slow-and-steady approach to automation

A semi-automated piston filler paves the way for San Juan Salsa Co. to fully automate its packaging processes for the future.

workers filling salsa into cups using piston filler
San Juan Salsa Co. uses the SP-64 Single Piston Filler from Hinds-Bock to package about 2,750 containers of salsa a week.
Photo courtesy of San Juan Salsa Co.

As a small but growing company, San Juan Salsa Co. isn’t ready just yet to fully automate its packaging process. Instead, the Arlington, Washington-based manufacturer decided to go the semi-automated route. The company invested in a piston filler to package its gourmet salsas that has already helped to optimize its current operations while laying the groundwork to fully automate its packaging capabilities in the future.

San Juan Salsa has long taken pride in manufacturing and packaging its salsas by hand since it was founded in the late 1980s. The company produces about 600,000 tons of all-natural, gluten-free salsas a year in seven flavors: Mild, Medium, Hot, Afterburner, Traditional, Salsa Verde and Pineapple Mango. They are kettle cooked in small batches except for the Traditional variety, which is an uncooked salsa with a medium heat profile. The company also sells three types of tortilla chips (All Natural, Yellow Corn and White Corn Sesame Seed), which are made by a co-manufacturer. San Juan Salsa distributes its products to national grocery store chains, including Whole Foods, Costco and Albertsons, as well as upscale specialty markets in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

piston filler depositing salsa into cupsThe SP-64 Single Piston Filler features a positive shut-off spout that ensures accurate filling and prevents drips or splattering as the salsas are deposited into containers.Photo courtesy of San Juan Salsa Co.

Leveling up

In 2018, San Juan Salsa started planning its expansion to California. To make the leap to such a large market, the company recognized that it would need to upgrade its operations. Because it wasn’t willing to sacrifice the handmade, artisanal nature of its salsas, San Juan Salsa decided to scrap hand-packing in favor of automating its packaging process. “We will always make our salsas by hand, but how you get it into the package is not as important as long as it’s in the proper configuration,” says Sandy Albright, co-owner and sales and marketing manager for San Juan Salsa. “We knew we would keep the handcrafted part of making the salsa, but we wanted to start automating the packaging part.”

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