Connected Cooking helps Mustard turn up the heat
Networked system provides control over every step of the cooking process
Founded in 2008, Mustard Foods is a food production business producing bespoke products for restaurant chains in the UK and Europe. With an operation that runs 24/5, and a monthly output of over 130 plus tonnes of food, they need equipment that ensures products are correct, scalable and consistent.
“For some clients, we’ll regularly prepare up to ten batches of a single recipe across multiple shifts in one day,” explains Operations Manager Ashley Lotcho. “Making sure everything is produced to our clients’ specification is essential.”
In order to accomplish this, Mustard has invested in equipment from Rational. Currently they have seven VarioCookingCenter (VCC) 211+ units with pressure cooking option, which have a daily output of thousands of meals a day, as well as two SelfCookingCenter (SCC) 201 and one SCC 202.
Rational’s multifunctional appliances are capable of replacing a wide range of conventional equipment. The VCC combines the functions of a kettle, sous vide, fryer, griddle, bratt pan and frying pans. The SCC is the market’s leading combination oven, capable of roasting, baking and grilling as well as steaming, poaching and stewing.
Mustard Foods’ full product range exceeds 180, and in any given month more than 80 different product lines will be live. Products include soups, sauces, salsas, chillies, curries, ragu, fillings, dressings, marinades, compounds, seasonings, slow cooked pulses, sous-vide, and slow cooked proteins, in addition to any new items as they are required.
“The ‘Internet of Things’ is core to our internal strategy. Managing all areas of our production processes manually across our short order cycles, breadth of product types and range is no longer an option. ConnectedCooking is a networked control solution that allows us to monitor and control multiple units remotely – it’s exactly what we need” says Ashley. “The level of control it provides and the data it gathers is incredibly useful.
“Our dedicated development team works with clients to establish exactly what they require. The first challenge is scaling up the recipes and ideas,” Ashley explains. “Once the product has been approved by the client it is configured in our ERP system and uploaded into the ConnectedCooking platform in advance of the launch.”
Once the recipe is in the system, it can be scheduled for access on any of the connected appliances, allowing production and recipe updates to be planned and adjusted precisely.
ConnectedCooking can also be linked to a service partner, alerting them to issues immediately. “Our partners, NCE, are great,” says Ashley. “ConnectedCooking allows them to connect to our units to identify the errors offsite. This helps the engineers identify possible parts required and keep any downtime to a minimum.”
The system also helps to guarantee food safety, gathering HACCP data for everything Mustard produces. “It’s vitally important that we maintain the highest standards of traceability, and with ConnectedCooking our quality and technical team can provide up to date HACCP data,” says Ashley. “We have easily accessible records for every batch we’ve produced.
“Mustard Foods’ continued growth is supported by working with integrated equipment across all areas of our facility. Rational equipment ensures efficiency at every step,” he adds.
To register for Rational’s ConnectedCooking, or to find out more about it, visit www.ConnectedCooking.com