Or Why Our Juicing Equipment Is the Best Value
It’s easy for any company to claim they have the best product. Marketing pictures and talk is cheap. Actions and deliverables speak far louder than words.
In our blog “The Juice”, we share our insights on juicing and the juicing industry. Today, we want to answer a question that concerns our own products, Citrocasa juicers, specifically and that we get all the time at trade shows and in phone consultations:
What makes you different from the other guys?
THE SHORT ANSWER: 3 KEY DIFFERENCES
- The industry-unique and patented features that make our juicers easier and safer to use, more efficient, and more hygienic than other juicers on the market. These features also result in better taste. It’s a win-win for all: you as a business owner/operator who benefits from the operational ease and efficiency and your customers who get to enjoy the best-tasting juice.
- The durability and reliability of our juicers due to the designs and materials used: food-grade stainless steel, durable seals, large motors, and more. Our equipment simply lasts longer. We have customers who have been juicing on the same juicer for more than 10 years.
- Apart from the patented and technical features, there is the Citrus America Team. We take great pride in our sales consulting process and after-sales support. As Jay Gardner, our VP of National Sales, says: “I would say one of the biggest things that sets us apart is the Citrus America Team. It’s not just about selling equipment. It’s about making sure our customers are supported and being profitable. If they ever have any issues at all we have a support team to make sure that we keep them up and running.”
What makes us different from the other guys also makes us the best value.
LET’S GO INTO SOME MORE DETAIL ON THE PATENTED FEATURES
- Patented Dynamic Knife: For Better Taste and Increased Durability
- Our stainless-steel Dynamic Knife moves up and down 40 times per minute (for our 8000 Series juicers) and 30 times per minute (for our Fantastic Series juicers).
- The knife slices the fruit in half on the upward motion. It doesn’t squash or mash the fruit. It doesn’t tear the peel but makes a clean cut.
- This matters for taste. Because the fruit is sliced and not squashed, very little peel oil gets into the juice. The result is better and sweeter tasting juice.
- It also matters for durability. The dynamic knife reduces wear and tear on the juicer. The moving serrated edge has no problems cutting harder fruit, such as limes and even pomegranates.
- Patented Cross Holder: For Higher Efficiency and Increased Durability
- Our stainless-steel Cross Holder is what keeps all the pressing parts in place. One screw secures seven points.
- When you disassemble the juicer for cleaning and reassemble it again for use, you don’t have to worry about unscrewing and screwing back on seven individual screws.
- This matters for efficiency. Disassembly and reassembly are quick and easy.
- Fewer parts also means fewer parts to lose. This lowers maintenance costs and downtime and increases the time your juicer is up and running.
- The 8000 and Fantastic Series also know if the Cross Holder is screwed into place. If it’s not in place, the juicer will not operate. This reduces operator errors that can damage the equipment.
- Patented Double Cover: For Improved Hygiene, Higher Efficiency, and Increased Durability
- The stainless-steel Double Cover is an extra piece between the front of the machine, where the juicing happens, and the motor housing. This 2-zone technology separates the juicer into a “food zone” and an “engine zone”.
- The combination of the stainless-steel Double Cover and our industry-leading seals keeps juice from getting into the engine zone.
- This matters for hygiene. All parts that come into contact with the juice can be removed and sanitized. Everything in the food zone is dishwasher safe.
- It matters for efficiency. The machine itself (“engine zone”) remains mostly clean, which dramatically speeds up the time you need to wipe it down.
- Finally, it matters for durability. Juice is kept away from any mechanical or electrical parts, helping you avoid costly repairs and downtimes and extending the life of your equipment.
LET’S GO BEYOND THE PATENTS:
We just described the three industry-unique patented features you’ll find on all Citrocasa 8000 and Fantastic juicers. But there is more that will make your life as a restauranteur or produce manager a lot easier. Here’s Jay again: “We are the leaders in our industry for multiple reasons. Of course, our patented products help set us apart with our flavor profile, the ease of using our equipment, and health and safety of the end product. But we also have the most robust and reliable equipment. Our equipment simply lasts longer than our competitors’.”
- Gears, Drive Shaft, and Motor
- Whenever we show our juicers at tradeshows, people comment on their beautiful aesthetics and design. But, to quote Jay again, that’s only half their appeal. “The inside of a juicer is as important as the outside, if not more so. Our equipment is all gear and drive shaft driven. We do not have bands that stretch and break. We have very large robust motors. Our competitors’ motors are smaller and some even have two small motors that are not easy to access.”
- 304 Food-Grade Stainless Steel
- Our 8000 and Fantastic Series are all 304 stainless steel. 304 stainless steel is an alloy blended with chromium and nickel. It is ideal in kitchen and food applications: “304 steel is often referred to as “food-grade” stainless steel, as it is unreactive with most organic acids and is used in the food processing industry.” Apart from that, it is highly rustproof. The higher the chromium-nickel content, the greater the resistance to corrosion: “304 stainless steel with a nickel content of 8-10% and a chromium content of 18-20% will typically not rust.”
- Our competitors have plastic parts that are less suitable for food processing, can scratch and brake easily, and are less durable. Some juicers even have exposed aluminum in areas that can come into contact with the juice. In contrast to stainless steel, aluminum reacts with citrus juice and corrodes.
- Our products carry the prestigious ISEGA certification. ISEGA is an independent certification body from Germany that monitors compliance with the demands on food contact materials. This certification helps us document the highest juice purity levels, according to ISEGA’s standard.
- Industry-Leading Seals
- In addition to the Double Cover, Citrocasa juicers have another level of protection for more hygiene, faster cleaning, and longer machine life expectancy: our reliable seals.
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- Some competitors’ designs do not seal off the motor area from the juicing area, which can lead to juice leakage into the motor area and a build-up of old juice residue. This is a major hygiene issue. The serious design flaws on our competitor equipment can lead to fatal corrosion and early machine failure.
- Juicing Speeds and Intelligent Stop
- Our 8000 Series equipment juices at 40 fruit per minute and our Fantastic Series at 30 fruit per minute. These are continuous speeds. There is no need to stop the juicer and “let the motor cool down”. You only stop to empty the peel bucket.
- How do you know when to empty the bucket? The programmable intelligent stop feature lets you set an alarm for emptying the peel bucket. When the bucket is full, the juicer will stop. This way you can avoid having peel jams and the damage that can result from them.
- Small and Large Pressing Kits and Other Accessories
- The color-coded Small (yellow) and Large (green) Pressing Kits, let you juice different sizes of citrus at the machine’s standard speed. Our machines support lemons, limes, pomegranates, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit. Even when using the different-sized pressing kits, the juicer operates at the same continuous speeds of 40/30 fruit per minute.
- The colors make it easy for your staff to know which parts to use. You can easily switch between pressing kits and thereby turn an orange juicer into a lime or grapefruit juicer.
PRE-SALE CONSULTING
Buying a high-quality commercial citrus juicer is an investment. While our equipment may not be the cheapest to buy, it is the least expensive to own and operate when you consider the Total Cost of Operation. It is the best value.
Our robust designs, high quality materials, pro-active training strategies, and outstanding technical support help keep your juicing equipment running and help you increase your Healthy Profits.
We take great pride in our sales process, which is not about selling you the most expensive juicer in our line. It’s about helping you select what works for you. As Brian Framson, the company founder and CEO says: “We’re not interested in selling you a bigger juicer or a smaller juicer. We want to help you buy the right juicer. It’s our job to help our customers figure out the right equipment for their juicing needs.”
POST-SALE SUPPORT
We work with our customers to develop a tailored training strategy to meet customers’ needs.
We train you and your staff and, in addition, provide training materials, including how-to-videos through our website. You and your staff can access these videos from their personal devices 24/7.
We also have a dedicated support team and quick turnaround times for parts, should you ever run into a problem with a juicer. We want to get you up and running as fast as possible. Our free technical support hotline is there to help you squeeze fresh juice day-in and day-out.
Finally, we love to share our strategic insights to help support our customers’ Healthy Profits with Juicing. We know that you’re not just buying a juicer because you love juicing, but because you want to increase your profits!
SELL MORE JUICE
“A clean well-running juicer sells more juice. A dirty broken juicer doesn’t.” That is something Brian has been saying since 2011. An attractive, clean juicer that’s reliable and juices every day builds a successful juicing program that sells more juice and keeps the customers coming back for more.
Having the best tasting fresh juice available every day helps our clientele impress their customers. A strong, profitable, and successful juicing program is built on consistency. Reliable equipment, solid training programs, and a great juicing strategy helps build that consistency, support your brand, and sell more juice.
AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES US THE BEST VALUE
While our equipment may cost more initially, when looking at the Total Cost of Ownership, it is far more profitable to own and maintain than any other equipment on the market.
- We have the best juicers for Taste, Hygiene, and Efficiency.
- Our machines have industry-unique patented features.
- Our equipment lasts longer.
- We provide the best pre- and post-sales support.
- Our equipment helps sell more juice.
We hope that this blog helped answer the question of what makes us different – and what makes us the best value in the industry. Schedule a call if you want to find out more about us, our products, and how we can help you make Healthy Profits.
About Citrus America – Citrus America has been driving innovation and quality in the juicing segment for more than a decade in North America and the Caribbean. We’re the exclusive master distributor for Citrocasa and have driven many innovations and quality improvements in juicing equipment. In addition to equipment solutions, we provide tailored training and support strategies to help our customers earn Healthy Profits.
About Citrocasa – Citrocasa has been the pioneer in producing the most innovative and highest quality food grade stainless steel commercial citrus juicing equipment to the grocery, hotel, and restaurant since 2005 across Europe. The Citrocasa 8000 Series was launched in 2005, with the 8000XB and the 8000SB. The 8000SB-ATS was launched in 2013. The Citrocasa Fantastic Series was launched in 2010 with the Fantastic M/AS. The Fantastic F/SB followed in 2011. Between 2015 and today, Citrocasa has launched the Advance upgrades, The Revolution, The Eco, and has added new options for on-line connectivity continuing its role as being the leader in commercial citrus juicing quality and innovation.