Aseptic co-packers

Product and package sterilized separately. The route to shelf-stable cartons. Every fact is checked against the manufacturer's own published information, with the date we checked it.

In aseptic processing the product and the package are sterilized separately, then filled in a sterile zone and sealed. Because the container never sees the heat or the vacuum of a hot fill, it can be thinner and lighter¹. One beverage developer describes aseptic fill for high-acid drinks lasting up to 18 months in glass, aluminum or PET².

Aseptic is one of two routes to a shelf-stable low-acid product; retort is the other. A low-acid food has a finished pH above 4.6 and a water activity above 0.85, and FDA's rule for it requires a process that reaches commercial sterility, at least equivalent to one established by a competent processing authority³. Few plants in this directory list aseptic lines, and the ones that do mostly run cartons and bottles for plant milks, dairy, coffee and tea.

Stainless steel liquid processing equipment and piping

In this directory

11 plants in this directory state aseptic processing on their own websites. They are spread across 17 states, with the most in California, New York and Illinois. 0 publish a minimum order, 8 state a GFSI-benchmarked certificate and 9 say they take startups or pilot runs.

11plants

0publish a minimum

8state a GFSI certificate

9take startups or pilot runs

What they make

Plant milks7
RTD tea and coffee7
Functional drinks6
Dairy5
Sauces and marinades5
Juice4
Plant-based dairy4
Soups and broths4

Packages they fill

Aseptic cartons9
Plastic bottles6
Bag-in-box5
Bags and flexible film4
Bulk and foodservice4
Gable top cartons2
Glass jars2
Single-serve cups2

Certifications they state

SQF8
Kosher7
USDA Organic5
Certified gluten-free4
HACCP4
Halal4
GMP2
Non-GMO Project2

Aseptic equipment these plants publish

Baldwin Richardson Foods Co.Aseptic processing
Byrne DairyNumerous UHT processors with aseptic sterile filling at DeWitt
Gehl Food & Beverage16 low-acid aseptic lines in Germantown, WI
Gossner FoodsTetra Pak aseptic fillers
Innovation FoodsTetra Brik Aseptic: 1 liter and 500 ml Tetra Pak Edge
Lyons MagnusHigh acid aseptic processing and multi-serve aseptic filler
MSI Express, Inc.high-speed bag-in-box line
NC Food Innovation LabMicrothermics HTST/UHT processor with homogenizer and aseptic ultraclean fill hood
Ninth Avenue FoodsDirect steam injection UHT systems
Steuben Foods Inc.SIG Combibloc aseptic cartons
SunOptaNationwide network of aseptic plants using Tetra Pak equipment

The plants

Filter these in the directory

Baldwin Richardson Foods Co.
Macedon, NY (also CA, IL, NJ)
Liquid food and beverage manufacturer headquartered in Macedon, New York with plants in Williamson, New York, Corona, California and Pennsauken, New Jersey that makes custom and private...
Process
AsepticHot fillCold fillKettle cookingContinuous cookingEmulsifying and homogenizing
Packaging
Plastic bottlesAseptic cartonsGlass jarsPortion cups+2 more
Minimum order
Not published
Takes startups or pilot runs
Byrne Dairy
LaFayette, NY
Central New York dairy co-manufacturer, headquartered in LaFayette, that private labels and co-packs extended shelf life (ESL) refrigerated and UHT aseptic shelf-stable milk, cream,...
Process
AsepticUHTBottling
Packaging
Gable top cartonsAseptic cartonsPlastic bottles
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
Gehl Food & Beverage
Germantown, WI (also CA, SC)
Aseptic contract and private label manufacturer headquartered in Germantown, Wisconsin, with plants in Germantown, Lathrop, California and Walterboro, South Carolina, making shelf-stable...
Process
AsepticBottlingPouch fillingCanning
Packaging
Aseptic cartonsPlastic bottlesBags and flexible filmBag-in-box+1 more
Minimum order
Not published
BRCGS, SQFTakes startups or pilot runs
Gossner Foods
Logan, UT (also ID)
Family-owned Swiss cheese maker and aseptic UHT milk processor in Logan, Utah, with a second cheese plant in Heyburn, Idaho. Offers private label natural cheese in slice, chunk, loaf and...
Process
AsepticUHTSmokingSlicing and portioning
Packaging
Aseptic cartonsBag-in-boxBulk and foodservice
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)
Innovation Foods
Bridgeton, NJ
Family-owned New Jersey co-manufacturer with plants in Millville and Bridgeton that makes aseptic and extended shelf life (ESL) beverages, including plant-based milks, coffee creamers,...
Process
Aseptic
Packaging
Aseptic cartons
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
Lyons Magnus
Fresno, CA (also KY, OH, PA)
Fruit, juice and beverage ingredient manufacturer headquartered in Fresno, California, with roots to 1852, that co-manufactures and private labels shelf-stable high acid aseptic juices,...
Process
AsepticBottlingPouch filling
Packaging
Aseptic cartonsPlastic bottlesBulk and foodserviceBag-in-box+1 more
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
MSI Express, Inc.
Portage, IN (also IL, LA, OH, TX, WI)
Portage, Indiana contract manufacturer and packager with 16 facilities in six states that blends and packs dry powders, drink mixes, baking mixes and snacks, makes over 2 billion stick...
Process
Dry blendingPouch fillingCup and tub fillingBottlingMolding and depositingContinuous cooking+3 more
Packaging
Stick packs and sachetsStand-up pouchesBags and flexible filmFlow wrap+8 more
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
NC Food Innovation Lab
Kannapolis, NC
NC State cGMP pilot plant of 16,000 sq ft at the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, offering ideation, product and process development, scale-up and pilot production for...
Process
Spray dryingFreeze dryingDehydrationExtrusionMilling and grindingDry blending+13 more
Packaging
Bag-in-boxBags and flexible film
Minimum order
Not published
Takes startups or pilot runs
Ninth Avenue Foods
City of Industry, CA (also IN)
Fourth-generation family dairy company that processes and packages extended shelf life (ESL) dairy and plant-based milks, creamers and protein beverages for brands and private label...
Process
UHTAsepticBottling
Packaging
Plastic bottlesGable top cartons
Minimum order
Not published
Steuben Foods Inc.
Elma, NY
Contract manufacturer in Elma, New York focused on low-acid aseptic processing of dairy and plant-based beverages and foods, from plant milks, creamers and protein shakes to RTD coffee,...
Process
AsepticBottlingEmulsifying and homogenizingLow-acid canned foods (21 CFR 113)
Packaging
Plastic bottlesAseptic cartons
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs
SunOpta
Eden Prairie, MN (also CA, PA, TX, WA)
Plant-based food and beverage manufacturer headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota that co-manufactures and private labels aseptic, shelf-stable oat, soy, almond, coconut, hemp and...
Process
AsepticExtrusionCold-formed bars
Packaging
Aseptic cartonsBulk and foodservice
Minimum order
Not published
SQF (level not verified)Takes startups or pilot runs

Read before you call

Other processes

Hot fill co-packers Cold fill co-packers HPP co-packers Retort co-packers Kettle-cooked co-packers Tunnel pasteurization co-packers Dry blending co-packers

Sources

Graham Packaging, Product Fill Types (Company; read through a search summary, the page itself was not opened in full)
BevSource, Commonly Confused Beverage Industry Terms (Company)
21 CFR 113.3, definitions for low-acid canned foods (Cornell LII) (Government)

General information, not legal or regulatory advice. Confirm your product's requirements with a process authority or regulator. Plant facts come from each manufacturer's own published information; see the data policy.