Cuddon Freeze Dry
Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures industrial freeze drying equipment across four product ranges (GPC, Hi-Lyph cannabis, Low Temperature, and Document Dryer) for food processing, pet food, nutraceuticals, cannabis, dairy, and document recovery industries worldwide. Direct enterprise sales model with custom build, installation, and after-sales services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1963
- HeadquartersTimaru, New Zealand
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cuddon Freeze Dry does
Cuddon Freeze Dry is a New Zealand-based industrial freeze dryer manufacturer established in 1963 as a division of Cuddon Engineering (founded 1938). The company operates from purpose-built manufacturing facilities in Blenheim and produces four core product ranges: the GPC (General Purpose CO2) Range using natural CO2 refrigerant for general commercial applications; the Hi-Lyph (HL) Range optimized for cannabis processing with wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed recipes; the Low Temperature (LT) Range using R507 refrigerant for high-sugar or high-acid products; and the Document Dryer (DD) Range for disaster relief and artefact restoration. Equipment capacities range from 100kg to 1,800kg of ice per batch, with custom design and build services available across all ranges.
The company's technology platform centers on lyophilization with proprietary features including Thermaflux liquid-filled shelves for uniform heat distribution, freeze override mode for vacuum failure protection, heat recovery systems (12kW-140kW), and stainless steel chambers with welded trays. The 2022 launch of the GPC Range marked a sustainability milestone with CO2 refrigerant delivering GWP of 1 versus 3,985 for traditional R507. Equipment is documented to operate reliably for 30+ years, with energy consumption of 1.5-2.4 kWh/kg depending on model. The company holds ISO 9001 certification and maintains complete in-house manufacturing in New Zealand.
Cuddon Freeze Dry operates a direct enterprise sales model with regional sales executives covering Oceania, USA/Canada/South America, and global markets. Revenue streams include hardware sales (one-time/perpetual license pricing on quote-based terms), installation and commissioning services, and recurring after-sales support including remote monitoring, service audits, performance reporting, and spare parts. The company serves ten horizontal segments including food and ingredients, pet food and animal nutrition, nutraceuticals, dairy, cannabis, document recovery, fermentation, R&D, floral, and taxidermy. For the US cannabis market, the company distributes through a channel partnership with The Original Resinator. Cuddon Freeze Dry is privately held, family-owned under the Cuddon Limited parent entity, with no disclosed external funding or institutional investment, led by CEO Terry Duff and Principal Shareholder/Director John Cuddon.
Cuddon Freeze Dry firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cuddon Freeze Dry
- Legal name
- Cuddon Limited
- Website
- https://cuddonfreezedry.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1963
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures industrial freeze drying equipment across four product ranges (GPC, Hi-Lyph cannabis, Low Temperature, and Document Dryer) for food processing, pet food, nutraceuticals, cannabis, dairy, and document recovery industries worldwide. Direct enterprise sales model with custom build, installation, and after-sales services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cuddon Freeze Dry industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Freeze Drying Equipment
- NAICS
- Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)
Keywords
Where Cuddon Freeze Dry is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Timaru
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cuddon Freeze Dry business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Industrial Freeze Dryer Sales: Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures and sells commercial freeze dryers across four product ranges (GPC, HL, LT, DD) with ice capacities from 100kg to 1800kg. Sales include direct enterprise sales through regional sales executives and custom build services for specialized applications.
- Installation and Commissioning Services: Complete turnkey solution including installation, commissioning, and training services for all freeze dryer purchases to ensure optimal performance
- After-Sales Service and Support: Remote monitoring, service audits, performance reporting, commissioning engineers visiting client sites worldwide, spare parts and ongoing maintenance support
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | General Purpose Commercial Freeze Dryers (GPC Range) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Hi-Lyph Cannabis Freeze Dryers (HL Range) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Low Temperature Freeze Dryers (LT Range) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Document Dryer Range (DD Range) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cuddon Freeze Dry product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures and sells commercial and industrial freeze dryers across four product ranges — GPC (General Purpose CO2), HL (Hi-Lyph Cannabis), LT (Low Temperature), and DD (Document Dryer) — with ice capacities from 100kg to 1,800kg. The company provides complete turnkey solutions including collaborative design, in-house manufacturing in New Zealand, installation, commissioning, training, and after-sales service and support for global commercial buyers.
Product overview
Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures industrial freeze drying equipment with four core product ranges designed for performance and scalability. The GPC (General Purpose CO2) Range is their flagship line using natural CO2 refrigerant, comprising FD600GPC, FD1200GPC, and FD1800GPC models for broad commercial applications. The HiLyph (HL) Range is purpose-built for cannabis processing with four models (HL50, HL600, HL1200, HL1800) featuring wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed recipes. The LT (Low Temperature) Range uses R507 refrigerant for products with high sugar or acid content, available in four sizes (FD100LT, FD600LT, FD1000LT, FD1500LT). The DD (Document Dryer) Range serves document recovery and disaster relief with three sizes (DD108, DD252, DD324). All ranges can be customized through their design and build service, combining decades of expertise with client product requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hi-Lyph Range (HL): Commercial freeze dryer range optimized for cannabis, hemp and other leafy bulky products, based on GPC Range with wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed recipes.
- General Purpose CO2 Range (GPC)
- Low Temperature Range (LT)
- Document Dryer Range (DD)
Products and services
- GPC Range (General Purpose CO2) Flagship commercial freeze dryer range using natural CO2 refrigerant, designed for broad product applications with high performance and large capacity, featuring lower running costs and reduced environmental footprint.
- FD1800GPC Freeze Dryer Largest industrial freeze dryer with 1,800kg ice capacity, 170.5m² shelf area on 19 shelves, doors at both ends with observation ports; ideal for large-scale commercial freeze drying.
- FD1200GPC Freeze Dryer Industrial freeze dryer with 1,200kg ice capacity, 113.7m² shelf area on 19 shelves, dual-door configuration; suitable for large scale commercial applications including food processing.
- FD600GPC Freeze Dryer Large commercial scale freeze dryer with 600kg ice capacity, 56.8m² shelf area on 19 shelves; available with integral or remote equipment skid configuration.
- HiLyph Range (HL) for Cannabis Commercial freeze dryer range optimized for cannabis and leafy bulky products, based on GPC Range with wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed recipes for cannabis products to preserve plant bioactives.
- HL50 Freeze Dryer Smallest cannabis-optimized freeze dryer with compact footprint and large shelf capacity; features plug & play installation and pre-programmed cannabis recipes.
- HL600 Freeze Dryer Commercial cannabis freeze dryer with over 5 times shelf capacity of HL50; based on FD600GPC model with wider shelf spacing and cannabis-specific recipes.
- HL1200 Freeze Dryer Commercial cannabis freeze dryer with twice the capacity of HL600; based on FD1200GPC with wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed cannabis recipes.
- HL1800 Freeze Dryer Largest cannabis-optimized freeze dryer based on FD1800GPC model with wider shelf spacing and pre-programmed recipes developed for cannabis products.
- LT Range (Low Temperature) R507 Commercial freeze dryers using R507 refrigerant, specifically designed for products difficult to freeze due to high sugar or acid content; ice coil operates at significantly lower temperature than standard GPC range.
- FD100LT Freeze Dryer Smallest low temperature freeze dryer with 100kg ice capacity, 9.1m² shelf area on 9 shelves; uses R507 refrigerant for products with high sugar or acid content.
- FD600LT Freeze Dryer Fully commercial scale low temperature freeze dryer for products difficult to freeze due to high sugar or acid content; uses R507 refrigerant with ice coil at lower temperature.
- FD1000LT Freeze Dryer Low temperature freeze dryer based on FD1200GPC model; designed for products difficult to freeze due to high sugar or acid content, operating on R507 refrigerant.
- FD1500LT Freeze Dryer Largest low temperature model based on FD1800GPC; designed for products difficult to freeze due to high sugar or acid content, using R507 refrigerant with ice condenser at -55°C.
- DD Range (Document Dryer) Commercial freeze dryers developed specifically for document drying and disaster relief; can dry cartons of documents, books, furniture, and textiles in large product chambers.
- DD108 Freeze Dryer Smallest document dryer in DD Range, developed specifically for document drying and disaster relief; documents placed in supplied product trolleys.
- DD252 Freeze Dryer Mid-sized document dryer in DD Range for document drying and disaster relief; can accommodate cartons of documents, books, furniture and textiles.
- DD324 Freeze Dryer Largest document dryer range for large scale document drying and disaster relief; can dry cartons of documents, books, furniture and textiles.
- Custom Build GPC Freeze Dryer Custom-built freeze dryer service using GPC base model that tailors chamber size, shelf space, or provides external ice coils; full design service for industry-specific builds.
- Custom Build DD Freeze Dryer Custom-built document dryer service for specific requirements including external ice coils, plant layout, specific chamber dimensions, or custom shelf spacing.
- Custom Build LT Freeze Dryer Custom-built low temperature freeze dryer service using LT base model for specific design or performance criteria.
- Installation and Commissioning Services Complete turnkey solution including installation, commissioning, and training services for all freeze dryer purchases to ensure optimal performance.
- After-Sales Service and Support Remote monitoring, service audits, performance reporting, commissioning engineers visiting client sites worldwide, spare parts and ongoing maintenance support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Energy consumption of 1.5-2.4 kWh/kg depending on model
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Cuddon Freeze Dry
Customer profileSegments10 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Cuddon Freeze Dry technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Cuddon Freeze Dry partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- The Original ResinatorcorePartnership with The Original Resinator, a US-based partner with over 30 years of product expertise in the cannabis industry. The Original Resinator handles sales of the Hi-Lyph (HL) Range freeze dryers in the US market. The partnership combines Cuddon's freeze dry technology with The Original Resinator's cannabis industry knowledge to develop and optimize freeze dryers specifically for cannabis processing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cuddon Freeze Dry competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GEA Group: GEA is one of the largest global suppliers of process technology for the food, dairy, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, including industrial freeze drying/lyophilization systems. It competes with Cuddon in the same end markets at much larger scale, and its Lyophilization & Sterile Technologies unit is the most direct competitor in industrial freeze drying.
- IMA Group: IMA is a global leader in processing and packaging solutions for pharmaceuticals and food, with dedicated lyophilization (freeze drying) equipment lines. It competes head-to-head with Cuddon for industrial-scale freeze drying customers, particularly in pharma, dairy, and food applications.
- SPX Technologies (now SPX FLOW): SPX FLOW supplies engineered process equipment including drying and evaporation systems for food, dairy, and industrial customers. Its broad industrial drying portfolio overlaps with Cuddon's freeze drying applications in food and nutraceutical processing.
- Optima Packaging Group: Optima provides processing and packaging equipment for food, dairy, and pharma, including freeze drying integrations. It is a broader industrial incumbent serving overlapping end markets as Cuddon, particularly in dairy and food freeze dried products.
Direct peers
- Telstar (Azbil Group): Telstar, part of Azbil Corporation, is a specialist in freeze drying and lyophilization equipment for pharmaceutical, biotech, and food applications. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Cuddon in industrial freeze drying systems.
- Millrock Technology: Millrock Technology designs and manufactures laboratory and production-scale freeze dryers (lyophilizers) for pharmaceutical, biotech, and food applications. It is a direct peer in the freeze drying equipment category with comparable customization and turnkey service offerings.
- BÜCHI Labortechnik: BÜCHI is a Swiss manufacturer of laboratory and industrial equipment including spray drying and freeze drying systems. It serves similar end markets (food, nutraceutical, pharma R&D) and overlaps with Cuddon's R&D and small-scale production freeze dryer offerings.
- Labconco: Labconco manufactures laboratory freeze dryers and is a peer in the lyophilization equipment space, particularly for R&D and laboratory-scale applications. While smaller scale than Cuddon's industrial units, it competes in adjacent customer segments.
- Hof Sonderanlagenbau: HOF Sonderanlagenbau is a German specialist in freeze drying and vacuum drying equipment for food, pharma, and chemical applications. It is a direct peer in industrial freeze drying with comparable customization and turnkey offerings.
Regional players
- MechaTech Systems: MechaTech Systems is a UK-based supplier of freeze drying and lyophilization equipment serving food, pharmaceutical, and biotech customers. It is a regional peer in the industrial freeze drying space serving European markets that Cuddon does not actively cover.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cuddon Freeze Dry social profiles
Digital presenceCuddon Freeze Dry compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cuddon Freeze Dry financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cuddon Freeze Dry leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cuddon Freeze Dry funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cuddon Freeze Dry M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cuddon Freeze Dry
What does Cuddon Freeze Dry do?
Cuddon Freeze Dry manufactures and sells commercial and industrial freeze dryers across four product ranges — GPC (General Purpose CO2), HL (Hi-Lyph Cannabis), LT (Low Temperature), and DD (Document Dryer) — with ice capacities from 100kg to 1,800kg. The company provides complete turnkey solutions including collaborative design, in-house manufacturing in New Zealand, installation, commissioning, training, and after-sales service and support for global commercial buyers.
Is Cuddon Freeze Dry a public or private company?
Cuddon Freeze Dry is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Cuddon Freeze Dry founded?
Cuddon Freeze Dry was founded in 1963. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cuddon Freeze Dry based?
Cuddon Freeze Dry is headquartered in Timaru, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Cuddon Freeze Dry make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Industrial Freeze Dryer Sales are the primary driver. The others are installation and Commissioning Services and after-Sales Service and Support.
Who are Cuddon Freeze Dry's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GEA Group, IMA Group, SPX Technologies (now SPX FLOW) and Optima Packaging Group. Direct peers are Telstar (Azbil Group), Millrock Technology, BÜCHI Labortechnik, Labconco and Hof Sonderanlagenbau. MechaTech Systems is listed as a regional player.
Does Cuddon Freeze Dry have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cuddon Freeze Dry.
What industry is Cuddon Freeze Dry in?
Cuddon Freeze Dry's product category is Industrial Freeze Drying Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAKAE, Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment. Its NAICS code is 333415 and its SIC code is 3585.