The CEO of Spain’s Essence Food Group led a delegation on a visit to BOLAIKE’s headquarters, focusing on large-scale industrial freeze-drying equipment, with the aim of jointly exploring new opportunities in the European market for value-added processing of fruits and vegetables.

Recently, Mr. Marcio Barradas, Founder and CEO of Spain’s Essence Food Group, led a core team from his company on a special visit to BOLAIKE’s modern industrial base in Jiangsu for an in-depth inspection and business negotiations. As a leading enterprise in China’s food freeze-drying equipment sector with the highest number of patents, BOLAIKE holds an authoritative technical position and possesses extensive practical experience in food freeze-drying technology. Essence Food Group specializes in utilizing freeze-drying technology to transform food waste into highly nutritious products. During this visit, the delegation focused on inspecting BOLAIKE’s large-scale industrial freeze-drying equipment designed for the deep processing of specialty fruits and vegetables, such as olives. Both parties engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including technical cooperation and equipment procurement.

Essence Food Group is a food tech company headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, dedicated to transforming surplus and substandard fruits and vegetables from agricultural production into nutrient-rich, long-shelf-life foods through the combination of AI, 3D printing, and advanced freeze-drying technology. As early as 2017, company founder Mr. Marcio Barradas delivered a TED Talk calling on the global industry to “turn waste into profit,” and has since led his team in continuously advancing the field of food waste repurposing. Essence Food’s technological approach and business model have gained widespread recognition in European, American, and Middle Eastern markets, with its freeze-dried products demonstrating exceptional performance in preserving original nutritional content and extending shelf life.

Spain is a global leader in olive production and export, with over 2.5 million hectares of olive groves and an annual output that has long ranked first in the world. However, in the field of advanced olive processing, the local industry remains dominated by traditional primary processing methods such as brining and oil extraction, while the development of high-value-added products lags behind. In recent years, the Spanish government has vigorously promoted the upgrading of the agricultural product processing industry, with functional foods, organic foods, and sustainable processing technologies becoming key development priorities. Due to its unique advantages in preserving heat-sensitive nutrients, freeze-drying technology is regarded by the international academic community as an ideal approach for the advanced processing of olives. Research indicates that freeze-drying preserves phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in olive powder more effectively than convection drying. Essence Food has recognized BOLAIKE’s technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities in large-scale industrial freeze-drying equipment. By introducing this advanced technology, the company aims to achieve a strategic transformation within Europe—evolving from a “major olive-growing nation” to a “leading power in advanced olive processing.”

During the visit, the Essence Food delegation toured BOLAIKE’s large-scale equipment production workshops, R&D and testing center, and complete machine assembly lines, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the company’s R&D and manufacturing processes for its full range of freeze-drying equipment, ranging from 0.5 square meters to 200 square meters. BOLAIKE’s comprehensive implementation of intelligent management systems, lean manufacturing processes, and end-to-end quality control systems left a deep impression on the clients. The delegation focused on inspecting large-scale industrial freeze dryers suitable for the deep processing of foods such as olives, fruits, and vegetables, gaining detailed insights into the equipment’s moisture capture systems, temperature control precision, energy-saving solutions, and automated operation capabilities.

BOLAIKE’s large-scale industrial freeze dryers feature an integrated design. Through the systematic restructuring of three core modules—refrigeration, vacuum, and heating—the equipment achieves a 25%–35% reduction in overall energy consumption compared to traditional models, while significantly improving drying efficiency. The equipment integrates a highly efficient moisture capture system with an efficiency rate exceeding 99%, reducing drying time by approximately 30% compared to traditional equipment. Equipped with precise temperature control technology and energy-saving refrigeration solutions, it efficiently removes moisture from materials under low-temperature, low-pressure conditions, maximizing the retention of natural nutrients, color, flavor, and active compounds in fruits and vegetables such as olives. This makes it particularly suitable for the deep processing of specialty agricultural products with high heat-sensitivity requirements. The equipment’s large-capacity drying chamber design significantly increases single-batch processing capacity, effectively reducing overall energy consumption and production costs. Upon learning that BOLAIKE equipment has successfully served multiple mature markets in Europe and the United States—with 80% of units exported overseas and products sold to countries and regions including Russia, the United States, and Kazakhstan—the delegation expressed high recognition of BOLAIKE’s manufacturing capabilities and international delivery capacity.

A BOLAIKE representative stated: “We warmly welcome the visit led by Mr. Marcio Barradas, CEO of Essence Food Group. Essence Food has made admirable strides in utilizing freeze-drying technology to reduce food waste and enhance the value of agricultural products. Their philosophy of ‘turning waste into value’ aligns perfectly with BOLAIKE’s founding mission of ‘advancing the global food industry through technology.’ During this visit, the client fully affirmed the application prospects of BOLAIKE’s large-scale industrial freeze-drying equipment in the deep processing of specialty fruits and vegetables, such as olives. We believe that as our cooperation deepens, BOLAIKE will assist Essence Food in establishing a high-value-added freeze-dried product line in Europe, and together we will expand the global health food market.”

The successful visit and in-depth technical exchange with senior executives from Spain’s Essence Food Group have further solidified Jiangsu BOLAIKE’s brand influence in the European market, demonstrating the company’s professional capability to empower the global food industry’s transformation through technological innovation. Moving forward, BOLAIKE will continue to uphold the philosophy of “technology-led innovation and service excellence.” Leveraging its extensive patent portfolio and rich experience in international collaboration, the company will provide global customers with one-stop freeze-drying technology solutions—ranging from individual machines to complete production lines, and from equipment to processes—committed to becoming a trusted partner and industry benchmark in the global freeze-drying technology sector.