Parfait Cup Filling Machine for Layered Yogurt, Fruit and Granola Cups
Fill fruit compote, yogurt and granola into clear pre-formed cups in one automatic pass, then seal and lid. The SDH-R runs up to 30 cups per minute with ±0.5% servo piston fill accuracy.
A parfait cup filling machine is an automatic filler that deposits each parfait layer, typically fruit compote, yogurt and a granola topping, into pre-formed cups and then seals them. The Hummus Pack SDH-R rotary machine does this in one pass with up to 3 fillers, servo-driven piston fills accurate to ±0.5%, a garnish filler for granola, membrane sealing, optional nitrogen MAP and lidding, at up to 30 cups per minute (18-25 real-world).
- Output
- Up to 30 cups/min (18–25 real-world)
- Fillers per pass
- Up to 3 (e.g. compote + yogurt + granola)
- Fill accuracy
- ±0.5% (servo-driven volumetric piston)
- Fill range
- 50 g – 500 g (approx. 2 – 17 oz) standard
- Cup sizes
- 4, 8, 10, 16 oz standard; 2 – 32 oz custom
- MAP option
- Residual oxygen 0.3–0.4%
- Price
- From $45,000 USD (single-filler configuration)
What a Parfait Cup Filling Machine Does for Grab-and-Go Producers
A parfait cup filling machine deposits two or three distinct layers into a clear cup, typically fruit compote, strained or Greek-style yogurt and a granola topping, then seals it for refrigerated distribution. Our SDH-R is a fully automatic rotary cup filling, sealing and lidding machine that builds the whole parfait in one pass: it denests the cup, runs up to three fillers in sequence, heat-seals a membrane cut from roll film, and can add a nitrogen MAP flush and an over-top lid.
Parfaits sell from grab-and-go coolers, coffee chain display cases and convenience stores, where shoppers judge the product through the cup wall. A yogurt parfait filling machine is therefore judged on crisp layer boundaries, consistent layer heights, a clean seal flange and a topping that stays crunchy. If you already fill plain yogurt, see our yogurt filling application guide; for the full specification, see the SDH-R product page.
Layer Sequence: How the SDH-R Builds a Yogurt Parfait in One Pass
An indexing turret carries each cup from station to station. For a classic three-layer parfait:
- Denesting: the pneumatic denester places a pre-formed clear cup in the turret.
- Fruit compote: a servo-driven volumetric piston filler doses the fruit base.
- Yogurt: a second piston filler deposits yogurt on top of the compote.
- Topping: a garnish filler drops granola, nuts or seeds onto the yogurt.
- Sealing: a roll-film membrane is heat-sealed to the flange, with the optional nitrogen MAP flush.
- Lidding: optional plastic lid pick-and-place or snap-on, then discharge to the conveyor.
Many brands reverse the order, yogurt first and fruit on top, so the fruit shows through the lid. The SDH-R handles either build; reversing it is a question of which product feeds which filler, and what changes is the rheology each layer needs. Our guide to multi-component filling for layered dips and parfaits covers layer design in depth.
Matching Each Parfait Layer to the Right Filler
We choose fillers layer by layer. The standard SDH-R filler is a servo-driven volumetric piston for liquids and pastes, accurate to ±0.5% by weight; optional fillers cover the components a piston cannot dose well.
Parfait layers and the SDH-R filler options that suit them
| Parfait layer | Filler type | Engineering notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit compote or jam | Volumetric piston (servo-driven) | Large-bore valving passes berries and fruit pieces; a cut-off nozzle gives a clean break. |
| Greek, strained or stirred yogurt | Volumetric piston (servo-driven) | A suck-back nozzle stops drips on the cup wall; avoid high shear, which thins yogurt. |
| Fruit coulis or syrup drizzle | Peristaltic pump (optional) | Suits free-flowing liquids; confirm very viscous honey or caramel with our engineers. |
| Granola, nuts or seeds | Garnish filler (optional) | Cluster size and fines content drive deposit consistency. |
| Cinnamon or cocoa dusting | Vibration filler (optional) | Doses powders as a light finishing layer. |
With up to three fillers per pass, a compote, yogurt and granola build uses all three. Our multi-head cup filling machine page covers running several filling heads on one machine, and the servo cup filler page explains recipe-stored servo fill volumes.
Layered Yogurt Cup Filling Without Smearing or Mixing
Most complaints on a new parfait line are about appearance: layers that bleed together, compote streaks on the cup wall, or yogurt that has sunk into the fruit by the time it reaches the shelf. These are rheology and nozzle problems, solved at configuration.
Viscosity and density matching
A layer stays put when the layer above is thick enough to rest on it rather than sink through it. Compotes are usually denser than yogurt because of their sugar content, which helps when fruit goes in first. When fruit goes on top, the compote needs enough pectin or starch set to sit on the yogurt; a thin, syrupy layer tunnels down the walls. Strained and Greek-style yogurts hold a flatter surface than stirred yogurt.
Nozzle choice and position
Wall smearing usually comes from product stringing off the nozzle as the turret indexes. A suck-back nozzle pulls the tail back after each dose, and a cut-off nozzle gives compote a clean break. We confirm nozzle type and position against your cup so each layer lands centered rather than on the wall.
Fill temperature and whey separation
Fill yogurt cold. Warm yogurt spreads further and is more prone to syneresis, whey weeping into a clear band at the layer boundary that spoils a clear cup. Cool the compote too. The SDH-R targets fresh, refrigerated cups filled at a pumpable temperature; confirm any warm-fill component with our engineering team before quoting. Feed yogurt gently, since high shear thins it, and keep entrained air out, because bubbles show against a clear wall.
Get a configured SDH-R quote for your productSend your product, cup size and target cups per minute — we reply within 24 hours.
Request a quoteGranola Topping Filler: Keeping the Crunch Until Opening
Granola starts losing texture the moment it touches yogurt, as moisture migrates from the high-water-activity yogurt into the dry topping. We place the garnish filler last in the filling sequence, so granola goes on immediately before sealing. Crunch over shelf life remains a formulation question: producers use coated or clustered granola, fat-based moisture barriers, or physical separation.
A candid note on granola inserts
Many retail parfaits keep granola in a separate insert or dome above the yogurt. The SDH-R applies toppings directly onto the product and is not specified to place inserts. If your design depends on one, raise it at the quote stage so our engineering team can assess it as a custom requirement.
Protecting the seal flange
Granola crumbs or fines on the flange stop the membrane from bonding and cause channel leaks. Dose the topping into the center of the cup with headspace below the flange, and control fines in the granola supply. Seal temperature, pressure and dwell are set for your cup and film, but no setting compensates for a contaminated flange.
Clear Cups, Visible Layers and ±0.5% Fill Accuracy
A clear wall shows every inconsistency: a compote layer 5 grams heavy in one cup and 5 grams light in the next looks like two different products in the cooler. The SDH-R's servo piston fills to ±0.5% of target weight, a band of plus or minus 0.75 g on a 150 g yogurt layer, giving consistent layer heights and less giveaway. Garnish filler consistency depends on cluster size and flow, so we confirm topping weights with your granola, and an optional weight checker with feedback loop verifies finished weights.
Standard cups are 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz, with custom 2 to 32 oz sizes using matching change parts, in round, square or rectangular pre-formed shapes; the SDH-R does not thermoform cups. The standard fill range is 50 g to 500 g, and secondary layers under 50 g, such as a thin compote base or a topping, are confirmed with our engineering team. Match the sealing film to the cup material, commonly clear PET or PP, and confirm the pairing with us.
Yogurt Parfait Packaging Machine Options: Sealing, MAP and Lidding
The standard closure is a tamper-evident membrane cut from roll film and heat-sealed to the flange. Pre-die-cut lids suit printed lidding, and plastic lid pick-and-place or a snapping device adds a clear over-top lid in the same pass.
Nitrogen MAP for parfaits
The optional nitrogen flush cuts residual oxygen to 0.3–0.4%. For fresh refrigerated cups, our MAP system typically extends shelf life from roughly 7–10 days to 30–45+ days, depending on the product. In parfaits, low oxygen slows oxidation of nut and seed oils and protects fruit color, but it does not stop moisture reaching the granola, so texture often limits shelf life first. See our MAP cup filler page and our article on nitrogen flushing and refrigerated shelf life.
Cold chain, coding and labeling
The SDH-R is not an aseptic or retort system; parfaits filled on it rely on cold ingredients and an unbroken cold chain. Downstream options include:
- Variable data coding devices for lot codes and best-before dates.
- Top and side labeling equipment integration.
- An extended discharge conveyor to your chilling or case-packing area.
Allergen Control and Sanitation on a Parfait Line
One parfait can carry milk from the yogurt, tree nuts, peanuts or wheat from the granola, and soy or sesame from seed toppings. These are among the nine major US food allergens under FALCPA; sesame became the ninth on January 1, 2023 under the FASTER Act. A gluten-free claim must meet FDA's less-than-20-ppm rule, which depends on oat sourcing. In Canada, plants operate under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), and the CFIA enforces declaration of priority allergens and gluten sources.
The SDH-R is designed to support plants operating under FDA FSMA Preventive Controls (21 CFR Part 117), HACCP, BRCGS and SQF programs; the machine is not itself certified to those schemes. It contributes cleanability: food-grade 304 stainless steel, tool-free strip-down and an optional CIP (clean-in-place) system.
- Run nut-free granola SKUs before nut-containing ones.
- Strip the garnish filler hopper and dosing parts; dry crumbs do not rinse away like yogurt.
- Verify allergen cleans with protein or allergen-specific swabs, not visual checks alone.
Mechanical SKU changeover takes under about 15 minutes with recipes stored on the HMI, but an allergen clean takes longer, so schedule around the clean.
Parfait Cup Filling Machine Specs, Output and Price
- Output: up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle; 18–25 real-world, depending on product, cup size, fill weight and options.
- Fillers: up to 3 per pass; volumetric piston standard, garnish, peristaltic and vibration fillers optional.
- Controls: PLC automation with HMI, recipe storage and diagnostic alerts.
- Compliance: 304 stainless steel; CE, UL listed, FDA compliant food-contact materials.
- Footprint: 44 × 52 in (1,100.5 × 1,315.5 mm); height 65.6 in (1,666 mm).
At 18 to 25 cups per minute, one SDH-R produces roughly 1,080 to 1,500 parfaits per hour of steady running, or about 8,600 to 12,000 per eight-hour shift before breaks and sanitation. That suits regional brands, foodservice commissaries and co-packers running several layered SKUs.
Pricing starts at $45,000 USD for the single-filler configuration; a three-layer parfait cup filling machine with MAP, lidding or labeling is quoted above that. Our article on cup filling and sealing machine cost explains the drivers, or you can request a configured parfait machine price. Machines are built in Calgary, ship 8–12 weeks from order confirmation with a 12-month warranty, and are supported from our Alberta, New Jersey and California service centres.
When the SDH-R Is Not the Right Parfait Machine
Candidly, the SDH-R is not the right fit if:
- You need more than 30 cups per minute on one SKU; that volume belongs on an inline cup filling machine.
- The parfait must be shelf-stable at ambient temperature; the SDH-R is not aseptic or retort.
- The product is frozen, such as a frozen yogurt parfait.
- Your package depends on placing a separate granola insert or dome cup.
- You need cups thermoformed in-line, or your main fill is below 50 g.
For pudding, mousse or trifle cups, see our dessert cup filling machine page.
How to Request a Parfait Cup Filling Machine Quote
- Describe each layer: yogurt style, compote type and particle size, topping, and target weight per layer.
- Give the cup size, shape and material, and whether you seal only or also add an over-top lid.
- State your target cups per minute, SKU count and options such as MAP, labeling, coding or CIP.
Send these through our parfait machine quote request form or email sales@hummuspack.com. Our team may reach out to learn more about your application before quoting, and we typically reply within about 24 hours.
Parfait Cup Filling Machine — Frequently Asked Questions
The Hummus Pack SDH-R starts at $45,000 USD for the single-filler configuration. A typical yogurt parfait build uses up to three fillers, such as two servo piston fillers for compote and yogurt plus a garnish filler for granola, and may add nitrogen MAP, lidding or labeling, so the configured price is higher. Send your layers, cup size and target speed through our quote request page.
The SDH-R is a rotary cup filling machine that runs up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle and typically 18–25 cups per minute in real parfait production, depending on the products, cup size, fill weights and options. That is roughly 1,080 to 1,500 cups per hour. For more than 30 cups per minute on one SKU, an inline line is the better fit.
The SDH-R runs pre-formed round, square and rectangular cups, including clear parfait cups. Standard sizes are 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz, with custom sizes from 2 to 32 oz using matching change parts. The standard fill range is 50 g to 500 g (about 2 to 17 oz); secondary layers under 50 g, such as a thin compote base or granola topping, are confirmed with our engineering team.
Compote and yogurt layers dosed by the SDH-R's servo-driven volumetric piston fillers are accurate to ±0.5% of target weight, keeping layer heights consistent through a clear cup wall and limiting giveaway. Granola is dosed by the optional garnish filler, whose consistency depends on cluster size and fines, so topping weights are confirmed with your product. An optional weight checker with feedback loop verifies finished weights.
The SDH-R applies granola last, directly on the yogurt surface, and seals the cup immediately afterward. It cannot stop moisture migrating into the granola over shelf life; that is controlled by formulation, such as coated or clustered granola. Many brands use a separate granola insert or dome; the SDH-R applies toppings directly and is not specified to place inserts, so raise that requirement at the quote stage.
The SDH-R's optional nitrogen flush reduces residual oxygen to 0.3–0.4%, slowing oxidation of nut and seed oils in granola and helping protect fruit color. For fresh refrigerated cups, MAP typically extends shelf life from about 7–10 days to 30–45+ days, depending on the product. In parfaits, granola texture often limits shelf life first. The SDH-R is not aseptic, so parfaits stay refrigerated.
The SDH-R uses food-grade 304 stainless steel with tool-free strip-down and an optional CIP (clean-in-place) system. Between nut and nut-free granola SKUs, strip and clean the garnish filler hopper and dosing parts, where dry crumbs collect, and verify the clean with protein or allergen-specific swabs. Running nut-free SKUs before nut-containing ones reduces the number of full allergen cleans.
Mechanical changeover between SKUs on the SDH-R takes under about 15 minutes, with fill volumes and settings stored as recipes on the PLC-controlled HMI, so switching from a strawberry to a blueberry parfait in the same cup is quick. Changing cup size requires the matching change parts. Allergen changeovers take longer, because cleaning and verification, not the mechanical swap, set the time.
Each SDH-R is designed and built in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, ships 8–12 weeks from order confirmation and carries a 12-month warranty. Service is supported from our Alberta, New Jersey and California service centres. The machine carries CE, is UL listed and uses FDA compliant food-contact materials.
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