The Global Standard In Vacuum Cooling
Trusted by leading businesses worldwide to preserve quality, extend shelf life, and maximise efficiency.
JP Vacuum Coolers
John Pickup began his engineering career 50 years ago in a food factory in the NW of England. In 1980, he co-founded ‘Autec’ and along with his business partner, began his vacuum cooling journey. Harnessing vacuum cooling and refrigeration technologies they began supplying UK markets with small to medium round Autocool machines. Very quickly they expanded their installations across the globe and designed modifications to the shape and size of the vessels. John founded JP Vacuum Coolers Ltd in 1999.
Ian Ridsdale first crossed paths with John in the early 90’s when he was asked to maintain one of the Autec vacuum coolers by one of his existing horticultural customers. Ian subsequently joined the JP engineering team, becoming a director in 2024. He brought with him around 35 years of engineering experience in the agricultural & horticultural industries. He has also been involved with a whole range of industrial manufacturing solutions due to his extensive knowledge of refrigeration and cryocooling techniques.
50+
Years Experience
300+
Projects Completed
6
Continents Supplied
231m³
Max Machine Capacity
Our Services
Design & Build
Whether you choose manual loading, operator controlled cooling or wish to embrace full automation, we can develop and build a bespoke vacuum cooling solution to the highest standards which will meet your needs.
Service
Access continued maintanence with one of our service & emergency call out packages. Receive engineer reports to meet quality control standards and the responsibility of complying with industry regulations e.g. FGas. If you prefer, we can also offer ad hoc maintenance visits as required.
Parts Supply
Ensure the minimum of down time. We can supply parts so you can maintain your own stock supply on site or, take advantage of our efficient and timely dispatch service.
Applications
Salads/Leafy Greens
The faster ‘field heat’ is removed, the longer delicate leaves / herbs will remain fresh. Pause the deterioration process to maintain optimum levels of aroma, flavour, texture and appearance to retain its Class 1 quality.
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Chinese Leaf
- Herbs
Flowers
Integral to post harvest operations, vacuum cooling stems will delay ageing, increasing shelf life, with blooms staying fresh for longer, ensuring a better customer experience. Flowers may be cooled several times throughout the distribution process, even when still packaged post flight.
- Roses
- Tulips
- Lilies
Mushrooms
Harvested mushrooms are usually placed into trays with both delicate caps (large surface area) and dense stems trapping warm air and moisture within the product and its packaging. A slow cooling process will cause changes in coloration (browning) making it less desirable.Time is of the essence. Vacuum Cool quickly to retain a succulent appearance.
Vegetables
Lock in both flavour & nutrients to maintain fresh vibrant vegetables. Enhance their longevity by delaying micro-organism activity and therefore reduce the rate of green waste and food spoilage.
- Broccoli
- Sweetcorn
- Peas
- Brussel Sprouts
- Celary
Bakery Items
Bakery products are extremely susceptible to short shelf life due to the baking process involving warm, humid atmospheres which are ideal for growth of bacteria and micro-organisms. It is crucial to reduce temperatures quickly. Vacuum cooling provides a fast, efficient method to minimise any loss of freshness ensuring high quality produce.
- Bread
- Cakes
- Pastries
Other
Some products once harvested are required to retain the ability to act as a growing medium, once transplanted to a new location. During transportation if uncooled, temperature can increase causing damage to the product, reducing the overall usability of the commodity and reduced customer satisfaction would be inevitable.
- Turf
- Compost/Substrate
Our Projects
Drive-In Vacuum Cooling System
This large-scale system allows drivers to simply unhitch their entire trailer, streamlining operations and preserving the quality of high-volume produce. This project is a testament to our ability to deliver comprehensive, custom-engineered cooling solutions.
Capacity: 231m³
Product: Mushroom Compost/Substrate
Services: Design, Build and Maintain
Year: 2024
Transportable Vacuum Cooling System
The vessel, chiller and vacuum pumps were all mounted onto a flatbed truck trailer. So it could be moved easily between field and production sites as required, instead of being restricted to one location only.
Capacity: 4 pallets
Services: Design and Build
Year: 2024
Legacy Cooler Refurbishment and Relocation
Sometimes more cost effective solutions can be sought if a vacuum cooler is no longer required by its original purchaser. JP assisted this customer in reducing waste (and their carbon footprint) by relocating the vessel and modifying the plant & controls for their own needs.
Capacity: 5 pallets
Product: Vegetables
International Installation
Specialist lift and shift teams were on hand to take the strain and make sure that the vacuum cooler was delivered and installed with exacting precision with minimum cross border disruption.
Capacity: 12 pallets
Product: Flowers
Services: Design and Build
Year: 2025
Extending Cooling Capacity
To cater for increased production for a long standing customer, JP installed an additional cooler. Requiring significant project management perfect execution was required to ensure long-term process integration.
Capacity: 2 aircraft pallets/ULDs
Product: Flowers
Year: 2017
Fully Automated Cooling
JP can offer manual infeed and outfeed conveyor solutions for your project. In this case, the customer opted for a complex fully automated systems to transfer pallets towards and away from the vacuum cooler enabling improved efficiency when loading & unloading.
Capacity: 14 CHEP pallets
Product: Salad Leaves/Herbs
Year: 2021