Why the process differs from dairy
Updated
On this page7
You make the liquid rather than receive it
A dairy operation starts with a finished liquid and processes it. A plant operation starts with a solid, hydrates it, extracts from it and separates it, which is three additional unit operations and three more places for a batch to vary. Yield becomes a real variable in a way it is not for milk.
The solids have to go somewhere
Every batch produces wet plant residue, in quantity, that spoils quickly. At small scale it is a nuisance and at volume it is a logistics problem with a cost attached, and it is routinely left out of a plan entirely. Some makers find a second product in it, which is the better answer.
Stabilizers and emulsifiers are usually required
Not optional refinements, but the things that stop the product separating into water and sediment within a day. That has a formulation cost, an ingredient list consequence and an effect on the clean-label positioning many of these products want.
Heat treatment is still necessary
The dairy pasteurization rule does not apply, and the microbiology does. A wet, low-acid, nutrient-rich liquid is a good growth medium, and a product with no acid, no sugar concentration and no preservative is relying entirely on a heat step and the cold chain.
Which is why the equipment overlaps
Heat treatment, rapid cooling, cold holding and a hygienic filling operation. A maker moving between the two crafts will find the kit largely transfers even though the process does not, which is the practical reason the two sit together on this shelf.
Yield is a number worth knowing early
How much finished beverage you get per kilogram of plant material determines the cost per container, and it varies with the material, the extraction method and how hard you press. Measure it on your own equipment rather than taking a figure from somewhere else, because it is the dominant term in the costing.