Challenge
In late 2019, Boochcraft Brewery, a California-based specialty brewing company located in Chula Vista, was excited to see their consumer base enjoying the brewery’s hand-crafted kombucha, so much in fact that sales were growing exponentially throughout California. This growth expedited the need to expand the company’s operations beyond its existing single location to keep up with the welcome demand. It was then that they purchased a second warehouse and contracted with Automation Group to develop the best design, controls, and solution necessary to automate the new facility’s kombucha brewing temperature control process and increase production.
Solution
Phase 1 – Testing
Automation Group initially ran program simulations and Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) on the existing 20 tanks. The tests were conducted to identify and correct potential problems or other technical issues that could impede the new operations. In this initial two-month phase, the team also researched the industry’s technology, inspected the newly purchased warehouse to determine its operational suitability and focused on automating the heating and cooling temperature controls with built-in redundancy to ensure they did not lose entire batches of kombucha should any part of the system go offline during the brewing process.
Phase 2 – Automation
Upon testing completion, the project team began automating and implementing the juicing system. This six-week effort involved adding a juicing system for citrus and other produce. Once the automation was completed, the juice was transported into juice tanks for storage and later infused with the kombucha.
Phase 3 – Capacity Building
In the final phase of the project, the team increased the number of 100-barrel tanks—each accommodating roughly 3,100 gallons —from 20 to 40 over a six-week period, thereby doubling the amount of brewing capacity.
Automation Group conducted FATs at each phase of the project prior to commissioning to the next phase to ensure all systems and processes were installed, tested and operationally functional.
Automation Group was Chosen for its Project Management Methodology
As a Control System Integrators Association (CSIA)-certified business, Automation Group’s focus on best practices ensures the company sets and meets the highest standards for its employees and business operations. This industry-standard project management approach enabled the team to expand and fully automate the kombucha brewing process, all while ensuring system redundancies and quality controls were built into the solution.
Result
Expanding the brewery’s operations at the second site resulted in increased kombucha production and a reduction in the brewery’s labor costs, as they were able to re-allocate employees to other parts of the business. This allowed the company to ensure product availability and ultimately grow operations outside California.
Boochcraft Brewery Chief Operating Officer, Bryan Rivera, recognizes the importance of Automation Group’s focus on those high standards and engaging the right employees for the right project.
Relying on Automation Group for help with our expansion was easily one of the best decisions we have made as a company. They were not only knowledgeable but also instrumental in getting our capacity up and running both within budget and on time. The best part of Automation Group was not only the experience working with them during the project but also the support they offered afterward when small hiccups arose. Andrew and the rest of the team are incredible, and we’re definitely looking forward to working with them in the future on new projects!”
Bryan River, Chief Operating Officer
Boochcraft Brewery
