As demand for freeze-dried pet food continues to grow, many brands find themselves at the same turning point: moving from pilot development to full production. Early product development often happens in small batches. Teams test formulations, refine texture, and dial in the process using pilot equipment or small-scale runs.
That phase is critical. But scaling a successful pilot product into consistent, repeatable production requires a different process. At Parker Freeze Dry, this transition is something our team works through regularly with pet food manufacturers preparing to scale.
“Pilot production is about learning how a product behaves. Production manufacturing is about delivering the same result every time.” - Test Run Manager
Pilot runs serve an important purpose. They allow product teams to experiment and refine a recipe without committing to full production volumes.
In pilot environments, operators often have more flexibility to adjust variables like:
• tray loading
• product thickness
• drying time
• process temperatures
Those adjustments help teams learn how a product behaves during freeze drying.
But pilot production is designed for learning and iteration, not long-term manufacturing.
When a product moves into commercial production, the goals change.
The process must now deliver consistent results across:
• larger product loads
• multiple batches
• different operators and production shifts
Freeze drying is particularly sensitive to process conditions. Changes in load size, product density, or tray configuration can affect how moisture moves through the product during drying.
What worked well during pilot testing may need to be refined for production environments.
This isn’t a sign that the product failed development.
It simply reflects the reality that pilot testing and production manufacturing operate under different constraints.
Moving from pilot to production introduces new variables that influence drying behavior and throughput.
These include:
Production systems process significantly larger volumes. Ensuring product is loaded consistently across trays becomes more important.
Cycle parameters that work for small batches may not deliver the same results when product loads increase.
Pilot runs prioritize experimentation. Production systems must balance quality with predictable cycle times.
Manufacturing systems must produce consistent results across many cycles, not just one successful batch.
Designing a process that accounts for these factors is essential for scaling successfully.
“Scaling isn’t just about increasing capacity. It’s about making sure the process behaves the same way every time you run it.”- Jerad Ducklow
One of the most important steps in scaling freeze-dried products is evaluating how the process behaves under larger production conditions.
This is where many brands benefit from structured testing.
By running products through larger-scale systems, teams can evaluate:
• drying performance at higher volumes
• product structure and texture
• cycle stability and repeatability
• throughput expectations
These insights help manufacturers refine their process before committing to full production.
“Test runs give manufacturers visibility into how their product behaves at scale. That insight can prevent major adjustments later.” -Matt Graunke
At Parker Freeze Dry, much of our work with pet food manufacturers focuses on this transition from pilot to production.
Our team regularly collaborates with brands to evaluate how their products behave during larger-scale freeze drying and how processing parameters may need to evolve as production grows.
Because freeze drying is highly dependent on process design, these early evaluations can provide valuable insight into:
• cycle development
• tray loading strategies
• process stability
• equipment capacity planning
Understanding these factors early can make the scaling process significantly smoother.
For brands preparing to increase production, it helps to begin thinking about scale earlier in the development process.
Questions worth exploring include:
• How will the product behave at larger load sizes?
• Will the drying cycle remain stable across repeated runs?
• How will production capacity align with projected demand?
• What adjustments may be required when transitioning to production equipment?
Addressing these questions early allows brands to move into production with greater confidence.
Scaling a pet food brand is not just about increasing demand. It’s about building a production process capable of delivering consistent results as volumes grow.
At Parker Freeze Dry, we work with pet food manufacturers who are preparing for that transition.
One practical way to evaluate the process is through test runs on production-scale equipment, allowing teams to observe drying behavior, cycle performance, and product consistency before committing to full manufacturing.
👉 Schedule a test run with Parker Freeze Dry to see how your product performs at scale.