How to establish a Butterfly Jelly Prduction Line?

Starting a butterfly jelly business seems exciting, but maybe you are unsure where to begin? This guide will break down the essential steps for you.

To produce butterfly jelly, you first need the unique butterfly-shaped cups, either bought or made. Next, set up a processing system with cooking tanks for the jelly mix. Finally, a reliable filling and sealing machine is crucial for packaging the jelly efficiently and safely. ¹

Getting started with butterfly jelly production involves a few key stages. Each stage has its own important details. Follow along, and I’ll guide you through getting the cups, preparing the jelly mix, and packaging the final product using the right machinery. Let’s make some jelly!

Where Do You Get the Butterfly Cups?

Getting the right containers is your first step. These special butterfly shapes make the product stand out, but how do you get them consistently for production?

You have two main options for butterfly cups: buy them directly from a supplier or invest in a thermoforming machine to produce the cups yourself. Buying is simpler initially, while making them offers more control.

Choosing how to source your butterfly cups is an important decision early on. Buying ready-made cups seems easier, right? You find a supplier, place an order, and they arrive. This works well when you’re starting small or testing the market. It saves you the big upfront cost of buying a machine. I remember when we first started helping clients; many preferred buying cups initially to keep costs down. However, you depend on the supplier’s availability, quality, and pricing. Sometimes, finding a reliable supplier for unique shapes like butterfly cups can be tricky, especially in developing markets where we often work.

Making the cups yourself using a thermoforming machine gives you much more control.

Why is a Good Filling and Sealing Machine So Important?

You’ve got the cups and the jelly mixture. The final crucial step is getting the jelly into the cups and sealing them perfectly. Why is this machine so critical?

A high-quality filling and sealing machine is vital because it ensures accurate filling amounts, creates a perfect leak-proof seal, operates reliably for a long service life, and maintains product hygiene. ¹

This machine is where everything comes together. A poor machine here can ruin all your previous efforts. From my experience working with clients across various countries, the filling and sealing stage is often where production bottlenecks or quality issues arise if the wrong equipment is chosen. Think about picking up a jelly cup in the supermarket – you expect it to be full, perfectly sealed, and clean. That’s the job of this machine.

Key Features of a Good Machine:

1. Accurate Filling: Jelly needs to be filled precisely. Underfilling cheats the customer; overfilling wastes product and can interfere with sealing. Good machines use systems like piston fillers or pump fillers (depending on jelly viscosity) with high accuracy (e.g., ±1% tolerance). ¹ This consistency is key for profitability and customer satisfaction.
2. Perfect Seal: This is non-negotiable. The seal keeps the jelly fresh, prevents leaks during transport and handling, and ensures safety. The machine must apply the correct heat and pressure consistently to the sealing film (usually PP or PET) onto the cup rim. Features like PID temperature control and adjustable sealing pressure are important. ¹ A bad seal means spoiled product and damaged brand reputation. We always emphasize seal integrity when customizing machines.
3. No Leakage: Directly related to the seal quality. The machine’s design, including the cup holders and sealing heads, must prevent any spillage or leakage during the process.
4. Long-Term Service Life: Production lines need reliable equipment. Machines built with quality materials (like SUS304 or SUS316 stainless steel) and robust components last longer and have less downtime. This is crucial in developing markets where getting spare parts or service quickly can be challenging.
5. Hygiene: Food production demands cleanliness. Machines should be easy to clean, often with CIP (Clean-In-Place) capabilities, and made of food-grade materials to meet safety standards (like FDA or CE). ¹

At Xinchuang, we tailor these machines based on the client’s specific needs – cup size, desired output 12，000pcs/hour, automation level, and the type of jelly. Choosing the right filling and sealing machine is an investment in your product’s quality and your business’s efficiency.

How Do You Prepare the Jelly Processing System?

Once you have your cups sorted, you need to make the jelly itself. This requires a proper processing system, especially the cooking tanks. But how many do you need?

The number of cooking tanks needed depends mainly on your planned working hours and the variety of jelly colors or flavors you want to produce simultaneously.

Setting up your jelly cooking system is vital for consistent product quality. ¹ Think of the cooking tanks as the heart of your jelly preparation. Jelly typically involves mixing ingredients like water, sugar, gelling agents (like pectin or carrageenan), acid, colors, and flavors, then heating them. A batch cooking system usually involves dissolving tanks (for sugar, gelatin/pectin), buffer tanks, and mixing tanks.

Factors Determining Tank Quantity

• Working Hours & Output: If you plan to run production continuously for long hours or need a very high output (like thousands of cups per hour), you’ll likely need multiple tanks. This allows one batch to cook while another is being prepared or transferred, ensuring a continuous flow to the filling machine. We often design systems for clients needing 10,000+ pieces/hour, which definitely requires a multi-tank setup.
• Color/Flavor Variety: Producing multiple colors or flavors at the same time requires separate tanks for each variety to avoid mixing and extensive cleaning between batches. If your butterfly jelly needs different colored wings, for example, you’d likely need at least two main cooking/mixing lines feeding into the specialized filler. I recall a client producing multi-colored jelly snacks; we set them up with three parallel cooking lines.
• Batch Size: The size of your cooking tanks relative to your filling machine’s speed also matters. Larger tanks might mean fewer tanks are needed, but require more space and potentially longer heating/cooling times. Smaller tanks allow more flexibility but might require more units for high capacity.

System Components ²

A typical batch jelly cooking system includes:

1. Sugar Dissolving Cooker: To dissolve sugar in water.
2. Gelling Agent Dissolver: Separate tank for dissolving pectin, gelatin, or agar-agar.
3. Mixing Tank: Where all ingredients are combined, heated, and cooked to the right consistency. Often jacketed for heating/cooling.
4. Buffer/Storage Tank: Holds the ready jelly mass before it goes to the filler, ensuring a steady supply.
5. Pumps and Pipes: To transfer the liquids between tanks and to the filler. Usually jacketed to maintain temperature.

Planning this system correctly ensures smooth production and consistent jelly quality.

Conclusion

Producing butterfly jelly involves getting the right cups, setting up an efficient cooking process, and using a reliable filling and sealing machine. Each step is crucial for quality and success.