The Perfect Small Scale Packaging Setup
Setting up a professional small-scale packaging line doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re producing spirits, wine, oil, or juice, the right equipment makes all the difference.
The Customer
Herbs Of Life is an organic producer of traditional kombucha, wild-fermented sauerkraut and therapeutic herbal teas, made at its own brewery and fermentary in Lawson NSW. Founded in 2011, they've been a Q-Pack customer for several years, starting out on semi-automatic filling and capping equipment and adding an Enos C5000 labeller in 2024.
The Challenge
Demand had outgrown a semi-automatic process. Filling and capping by hand-fed machines tied up staff on the line, and output was limited by how quickly bottles could be handled manually. With demand continuing to grow, Herbs Of Life needed a line that could lift output and consistency without adding more labour.
The new line had to:
- Hot fill product at 80-90°C safely and consistently.
- Handle three bottle sizes (330mL, 500mL and 750mL) with quick changeovers.
- Protect product quality at the cap, with nitrogen dosing and cap verification.
- Work with the Enos C5000 labeller already on site, rather than replacing it.
The solution
Q-Pack specified a Borelli Euro System XP12C16FV monoblock, which rinses, fills and caps in a single compact frame, fed by a Borelli capsule elevator. Borelli's Euro System range is built for small to medium sized producers who need automatic output without the footprint of a separate rinser, filler and capper.
The machine was configured around Herbs Of Life's hot-fill process:
- 12-head rinser: cleans every bottle before it reaches the filler.
- 16-head filler: delivers well beyond semi-auto output, with headroom to grow.
- Hot fill at 80-90°C: fills product at temperature for shelf stability.
- Thermometer in the filling bowl: lets operators confirm product temperature at the point of fill.
- Light depression system with external stainless steel vacuum tank: gives clean, accurate fill levels, while the external tank captures any product drawn back so it stays out of the vacuum system.
- Single-head capping turret (28x16 Zavent): applies caps at consistent torque, matched to the filler speed.
- Nitrogen blow under cap: displaces oxygen in the headspace to help protect flavour and shelf life.
- Missing cap sensor: flags any bottle that leaves the capper without a closure.
- Additional starwheel sets: allow changeover between 330mL, 500mL and 750mL round bottles.
