Supagas diversifies offerings for the market

Among Supagas’ product divisions, designed to canvas as much of the industry as possible, includes Liquid Nitrogen and Bulk Refrigerated Liquids. Adam McCleery writes.

“Supagas looks forward to exhibiting at FoodPro 2023. The first time exhibiting at the show will provide the Supagas team of gas professionals the opportunity to speak and network with key decision makers within the food and beverage industry” expresses George Elhlou, Specialty Gases manager.

Supagas will introduce various products including Specialty and Industrial gases such as SupaMap and Refrigerated Liquids. In addition, Liquid Nitrogen Services (LNS) expertise and knowledge about Liquid Nitrogen and Dry Ice products. The team of gas professionals look forward to speaking with attendees on how Supagas can service and supply the gas needs of manufacturers and businesses in the food and beverage industry.

Liquid Nitrogen Services (LNS), a sub-division of Supagas, has built a strong reputation since its establishment in Melbourne, its reputation is growing with an outlook to expand into markets across Australia.

“The company built up a strong name in Melbourne over more than two decades, and for its service especially,” said Zac Filliponi, manager at Liquid Nitrogen Services.

“LNS has grown and changed from where we initially began, which we really like. It is about remaining true to our customers to continue to provide them with quality products and exceptional service.” said Filliponi.

Among the customer base for LNS is the hospitality industry, which continues to adopt Liquid Nitrogen and Dry Ice applications to create interesting products for patrons.

“Being a part of Supagas has led to a few changes but in terms of the day to day running of LNS, things remain the same, which is a true testament of how well LNS continues to do, aligned with Supagas strategy.

“And it has definitely extended our growth potential.”

Filliponi said the food and beverage scene in Melbourne played a critical role in assisting the growth potential of LNS, as the division expands across Australia.

“What we do with Liquid Nitrogen and Dry Ice is more about show. It is something these businesses use to promote their food. For example, they might use Liquid Nitrogen in cocktails or Dry Ice to create a fog effect for desserts,” he said.

“On top of that, fine dining restaurants might use them in some of their dishes. It is something that creates a wow factor.”

The ‘wow factor’ also helps breed word of mouth, which in turn, has helped grow the sector.

Filliponi also credits the rise in popularity of premium food and beverages, thanks to the cooking show revolution, for helping create greater demand for LNS solutions.

“When we talk food and beverages, in terms of restaurants, that’s where Supagas and LNS align,” he added.

“Supagas were already working in the cylinder side of things, for example pub gas cylinders for beer taps. At LNS we compliment that with our products, along with our strong presence in the hospitality sector.

“Supagas was largely involved with craft breweries, distilleries and more. Now, LNS has come together with the Supagas brand to deliver to the market, helping to cover the gas needs and requirements of businesses in the food and beverage industry.

“You won’t see many companies without LNS or Supagas involved in some shape or form.”

Supagas and LNS, as brands cater to various customer segments based on their gas needs, whether small or large orders. Supagas and LNS work together, strengthening supplier and customer relations, with LNS as a key touch point in the Liquid Nitrogen space.

The services LNS provides vary from Liquid Nitrogen deliveries, cryogenic equipment, Dry Ice, accessories and more.

“It is a very niche business, the Liquid Nitrogen side, there aren’t a lot of people in this industry so to get the experience and knowledge from us, with an already established gas supplier in the market brings with it lots of advantages.”

“As a result, we are in and amongst it with the likes of head chefs, who rely on us. We take calls at all hours, happily. They can rely on us for a lot of stuff, and we take pride in that.”

LNS continues to grow with potential to further expand, building on the business foundation and striving to supply and service current and future customers.

As a result, Filliponi said, Supagas and LNS provide the ‘whole package’.

Adding to this ‘whole package’ is the Bulk Refrigerated Liquids division, which handles large clients for Supagas, helping them scale up production capabilities.

David Petroff, National Bulk Industrial manager, said the Supagas division mostly works with customers who require larger gas solutions in their production process.

“The liquids that we are involved in are air gases and bulk Carbon Dioxide, the air gases to the uninitiated are what we breathe every day such as Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon,” said Petroff.

“Through a process of fractional distillation those air gases can be turned into cryogenic liquids.

“It’s these cryogenic liquids which are used in industries for many different purposes.”

When it comes to food and beverage manufacturing, the use of Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide is designed to keep products fresher for longer, extending shelf life.

And as an industry, or company, continues to grow, they have to scale up from the small cylinders to large solutions.

“There are customers who use Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide together for packaging and the whole aim of is that at some point customers who use cylinders grow so large that the cylinders are no longer able to keep up with their production,” said Petroff.

“That is when large cryogenic tanks are installed to store the Refrigerated Liquid and that is how they use the gas versus cylinders.

“Cylinders are good for smaller customers but as they grow the need to transfer across to another medium, such as cryogenic tanks, which streamlines the process for businesses.”

A good example of Supagas’ ability to cater to customers all over the country, including in regional areas, is a customer they currently have in the ACT.

“Smaller breweries generally start off with cylinders and may graduate to packs of cylinders,” said Petroff.

“We have multiple pack options. But if we do not have the ability to move from cylinders and packs to something else then we are handing that customer to the opposition so we must have a way of providing the product to cater to growing companies.

“A big part of what we do is service our customers where they are. If you cannot, then it is pointless trying to gain their business.”

When the ACT based customer experienced rapid growth, Supagas had to cater to them, but only had the Supagas Branch selling cylinders in the area.

As part of its commitment to customers all over Australia, Supagas helped the customer scale up to a 20-tonne cryogenic tank and used its own trucks to transport the cryogenic liquids to the customer’s site.

“Carbon Dioxide is used in many ways in food and beverage production. In packaging and carbonation especially,” said Petroff.

“When a customer like that grows, we must make up our mind about how to service the customer.

“We pretty much put the whole truck load into the 20-tonne tank.

“This is an advantage because the cost of delivering the product is the same whether it’s a small amount or a large amount, meaning it’s better to store as much as you can on-site.”

Petroff also said the importance of Carbon Dioxide in food and beverage manufacturing cannot be understated.

“Carbon Dioxide has its place in industry, you cannot enjoy a bottle of soda unless there are Carbon Dioxide bubbles in it. Every beverage with a sparkling aspect is carbonated,” he said.

The applications also extend shelf life of products, which is supremely important across the industry. At Supagas, the SupaMap range are gas mixtures designed to cater to manufacturers to improve and extend product shelf life for consumers, highlights Elhlou.

“Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen are mixed to flush air out of packaging to provide longevity of shelf life. You must have these processes in place for all these things to happen,” Petroff added.

Carbon Dioxide, along with Oxygen and Nitrogen, are also used to regulate temperature and humidity of food products during storage and transportation.

These are small samples of how important Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen use in the food and beverage industry really is, and the commitment Supagas has, along with its sub-divisions, to cater to all the needs of manufacturers of all sizes.