The Retort Food Company

A new company specialising in food for supermarket deli departments has chosen flooring from Flowcrete South Africa for its production facility which includes large cold rooms.

The Retort Food Company (Refco) knew that the floor in its site would have to provide an ultra-hygienic finish at all times despite the challenges of food production, packaging and processing. In particular, the refrigerated areas would constantly expose the floor to temperatures as low as 10 °C.

Refco knew that it would have to meet the highest standards of quality, as it would be supplying major supermarket chains across South Africa. A rigorous specification process was undertaken for every element of its new plant and Flowcrete South Africa faced stiff competition to win the project. In the end, its strong reputation, extensive experience in the F&B industry and high-performance products convinced Refco to choose Flowcrete South Africa.

To ensure that the floor would be up to the task, 1,600 m² of the self-smoothing, antibacterial polyurethane system Flowfresh SL with a Flowcoat UV topcoat and Dural 340 joint sealant was applied throughout the production spaces. This build-up would be able to withstand the cold temperatures, exposure to spillages of ingredients and by-products as well as the regular cleaning, operational activity, scuffs, scrapes and wear inherent to a busy F&B facility.

As part of the 21-day flooring project, 150 m² of the polyurethane sealer Flowcoat UV was also applied in Refco’s showroom and test kitchen. This coating was chosen thanks to its excellent UV resistance, as one wall in this area consists of full-length windows and so this part of the site would face intensive exposure to the sun’s rays.

The seamless and impervious nature of Flowcrete South Africa’s resin flooring solutions are ideal for the food industry, as these properties avoid grime and bacteria getting stuck in hard to clean gaps while creating a quick and easy to clean surface.