VA Filtration

What VA Filtration does

VA Filtration USA (legally Redwood Manufacturing) is a private, founder-owned manufacturer and service provider of membrane-based filtration equipment for the wine and broader beverage industries, headquartered in Napa, California. Founded in 2001 by chemical engineer Bryan Tudhope, who developed the company's proprietary volatile acidity (VA) nanofiltration process in South Africa in 1998, the company holds US Patents 7,651,616 (VA/EA removal) and 7,828,977 (Brettanomyces/4EP-4EG reduction), and operates what it describes as the largest fleet of certified wine filtration technicians in North America. The product portfolio spans Crossflow Machines, Ultrafiltration Systems, VA/EA Removal Systems, the DARC-Pro smoke taint removal system, the DART alcohol reduction platform, custom design-build filtration skids, and consumables (spiral wound membrane elements, resin columns, filter cartridges, chemicals), with annual processing volume exceeding 10 million gallons of wine. Distribution-exclusive partnerships with amaea (molecular imprinted polymer filtration, December 2024), LEV2050 (bioreactors), and Solventum/3M (sterile filter cartridges) extend the catalogue without internal R&D dilution.

The company's revenue model is hybrid, combining mobile and in-house professional filtration services, direct equipment sales, multi-year lease and rental programs, recurring consumables (including an online storefront), and a secondary stream from high-proof grape spirits distilled from membrane-filtered California wine. Wineries are the primary segment, with adjacent exposure to breweries, cideries, and distilleries. Go-to-market is enterprise field-sales driven: certified technicians deliver turnkey on-site service across Napa, Paso Robles, Washington, and Oregon, supported by quote-driven direct sales and a content-marketing website. The installed equipment base, consumables consumption, and trained operators create sticky relationships at customer sites, while the patent portfolio and 25-year operating history anchor a defensible niche position in US winemaking services.

Name

VA Filtration

Legal name

VA Filtration USA

Website

https://vafiltration.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VA Filtration USA is a private Napa-based manufacturer and service provider of membrane-based filtration equipment for wineries and beverage producers. It delivers mobile filtration services, equipment sales and rentals, consumables, and patented VA, Brett, and smoke taint remediation across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine and Beverage Filtration Equipment

NAICS

Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080)

akta.pro primary industry

Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Replacement Filter Cartridges & Consumables (CRAJAJAH)

Keywords

• Wine filtration equipment
• Membrane filtration systems
• Mobile filtration services
• Nanofiltration technology
• Crossflow filtration machines

Headquarters

HQ city

Napa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Filtration Services: Mobile and in-house filtration services including VA reduction, smoke taint removal, Brett reduction, pyrazine removal, pH adjustments, wine concentration, crossflow filtration, alcohol removal, and TCA removal. Technicians provide turnkey on-site service.
2. Equipment Sales: Sale of filtration machines including crossflow systems, VA/EA removal systems, ultrafiltration systems, alcohol removal systems, and custom design-build systems. Equipment ranges from manual to fully automated PLC-controlled platforms.
3. Equipment Rental and Leasing: Short-term daily rentals and long-term lease programs (3-month to 5-year) for filtration equipment including CF8 crossflow machines, spotter systems for VA/EA, Brett, pyrazines, smoke taint, and concentration systems.
4. Consumables and Replacement Parts: Sale of membrane elements, resin columns, filter housings, filter cartridges, cellar supplies, and chemicals. Includes Sanitary Spiral Wound Membrane Elements, Resin Column Assemblies, Solventum filters, and maintenance supplies.
5. High-Proof Grape Spirits: Premium grade neutral grape spirit at 95% ABV and sanitation quality grade at 82% ABV, priced per proof gallon. Crafted from filtered California wines for fortification and craft distillation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VA Filtration is a manufacturer of membrane-based filtration equipment and provider of mobile filtration services for food, beverage, and industrial applications. The company produces crossflow machines, ultrafiltration systems, and VA/EA removal systems from its 6,000 ft² manufacturing facility, supported by a fleet of certified filtration technicians delivering on-site services to wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries. It also supplies consumables, filter cartridges, and high-proof grape spirits, and offers custom design and build solutions for client-specific filtration requirements.

Product overview

VA Filtration USA operates as a wine technology services company and equipment manufacturer offering a portfolio of membrane-based filtration solutions, bioreactor systems, and high-proof spirit products for the wine, brewing, cider, and beverage industries. The core portfolio centers on spiral-wound and nanofiltration membrane systems — including Crossflow Machines, VA/EA Removal Systems, Ultrafiltration Systems, and DART Alcohol Removal Technologies — delivered through filtration services (mobile, in-house, and rental), equipment sales, and custom design-build programs. The product line is extended through distribution partnerships with Solventum™ filter cartridges, amaea™ molecular filtration products (MIP-based selective removal technology), and LEV2050 bioreactors (microbial propagation systems), all sold and supported through VA Filtration's North American operations. Consumables (membranes, resins, housings, chemicals) and rental/lease programs provide ongoing revenue and operational flexibility. A secondary revenue stream comes from high-proof grape spirit production from filtered California wine. The company also offers specialty services including smoke taint removal (DARC-Pro), Brett reduction (4EP/4EG), pyrazine removal, pH/TA adjustment, TCA removal, lees filtration, heavy press recovery, and precision gas management. All systems are designed and assembled in Napa, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEV2050 Bioreactors: Bioreactor systems for yeast propagation, lactic acid bacteria propagation, and microorganism production for winemaking. Reduces yeast requirements by up to 90% and bacteria costs by up to 75%.
• amaea
• DARC
• Solventum

Products and services

• Filtration Services (Mobile and On-Site) Mobile filtration services delivered to customer sites by certified technicians, including crossflow filtration of juice and wine, lees filtration, heavy press recovery, VA/EA correction, smoke taint remediation (DARC-Pro), alcohol reduction (DART), Brettanomyces (4EP/4EG) and pyrazine removal, TCA removal, pH and titratable acidity adjustment, and precision gas control. Targeted at wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries needing in-place filtration capacity without capital outlay.
• Crossflow Filtration Machines Crossflow filtration machines designed for juice and wine clarification, lees handling, and heavy press recovery. Sold to wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries for in-house filtration operations.
• Ultrafiltration Systems Ultrafiltration systems for wine and beverage clarification, used in-house by wineries and beverage producers to clarify and stabilize product.
• VA/EA Removal Systems Dedicated membrane systems for the removal of volatile acidity (VA) and ethyl acetate (EA) from wine, enabling wineries to correct acetic spoilage without losing the underlying wine.
• DART Alcohol Reduction Technology DART alcohol reduction technology used by wineries and beverage producers to lower finished alcohol levels while preserving product sensory quality, sold both as a service and as a process/equipment package.
• DARC-Pro Smoke Taint Removal DARC-Pro smoke taint removal process using membrane and resin-based treatment to remediate wildfire smoke-affected wines; offered as both a mobile service and a process/equipment package for wineries.
• Design and Build Solutions Custom design, engineering, and fabrication of filtration systems tailored to client specifications, leveraging the company's 6,000 ft² manufacturing facility, Alfa Laval and Goulds components, and process engineering expertise.
• Filtration Equipment Rental Rental programs that allow wineries and beverage producers to use crossflow, ultrafiltration, and specialty filtration equipment on a per-event or per-ton basis without full capital outlay.
• Solventum Filter Cartridges Distribution of Solventum brand filter cartridges for wine and beverage filtration, sold through VA Filtration's web store and direct channels.
• Filtration Consumables Recurring consumables including filtration membranes, resins, housings, and related replacement items for VA Filtration systems and third-party equipment, sold via the company web store.
• LEV2050 Bioreactors LEV2050 bioreactor technology offered by VA Filtration for sustainable production processes, complementing its membrane filtration equipment line.
• amaea Molecular Filtration Products amaea molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) filtration products distributed by VA Filtration for targeted removal of compounds such as pyrazines from wine and other beverages.
• High Proof Grape Spirits High proof grape spirits produced by VA Filtration, sold into the beverage market at market-responsive spot pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce VA/EA by up to 30% per pass
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AmaeacoreTechnology or Integration · 3 December 2024VA Filtration USA partnered with amaea in December 2024 to bring molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) filtration services to California wineries. The partnership enables selective molecule removal including smoke impact remediation, taint remediation, palate fining, and color adjustment using regenerable filtration media. Free trials available on volumes as low as a single bottle.
• Solventum (3M)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVA Filtration resells Solventum (formerly 3M) filtration products including High Flow Series Cartridges (0.5 µm) and LifeASSURE BBA Series Filter Cartridges for wine filtration applications. These sterile and high-flow filter cartridges are offered through VA Filtration's consumables catalog.
• LEV2050coreTechnology or IntegrationVA Filtration USA serves as the North American representative for LEV2050 bioreactors. LEV2050 is a Spanish biotechnology company founded in 2011 specializing in industrial microbiology for wine and agri-food sectors. Their patented bioreactors (BR-LEV-LC and BR-CV models) optimize growth and vitality of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, serving over 170 wineries worldwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentair: Global water and filtration specialist with food and beverage filtration product lines. Comparable in filtration cartridges, housings, and membrane technology, but focused on broader water and pool segments rather than wine specialization.
• Alfa Laval: Global separation and heat transfer equipment supplier serving food, beverage, and industrial markets. Already a component supplier to VA Filtration and a comparable provider of membrane-based separation systems to beverage customers.
• GEA Group: Large industrial equipment manufacturer with significant food and beverage processing and separation technology businesses. Comparable in separation and membrane filtration capability but operates at much larger scale across dairy, brewing, and food.
• Parker Hannifin: Diversified industrial filtration and motion control conglomerate with wine/beverage filtration offerings. Overlaps in cartridge, housing, and system-level filtration technology but competes from a broader industrial portfolio.
• Pall Corporation (Danaher): Large incumbent in industrial filtration with extensive wine and beverage filtration portfolios. Comparable in underlying filtration technology and sterile filtration cartridges (competing with Solventum line), but operates across many industries at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Koch Membrane Systems: Global manufacturer of membrane filtration technology including spiral-wound and nanofiltration elements used across food, beverage, and industrial applications. Comparable in core membrane technology and component supply to VA Filtration's filtration systems.
• Bucher Vaslin: Major wine equipment manufacturer offering reception, pressing, filtration, and bottling equipment globally. Direct competitor in winery process equipment with overlapping membrane filtration and tank-side service offerings.
• Pellenc (Pera-Pellenc): French manufacturer of oenological equipment including crossflow filtration systems and wine process technology. Directly comparable in product line, target customer, and integrated equipment/service approach.
• Della Toffola: Italian manufacturer of equipment and process systems for the wine and beverage industry, including crossflow filtration, reverse osmosis, and membrane-based solutions. Closest direct competitor to VA Filtration in winery process technology and equipment.
• Enologica Vason: Italian enological products and filtration specialist serving wineries with filtration media, equipment, and process aids. Comparable as a wine-industry-focused filtration supplier with both consumables and equipment offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vafiltration
• Facebookfacebook.com/redwood-fake
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/va-filtration-usa-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/redwood-fake

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VA Filtration