Sour Cream Filling Machine
The SDH-R sour cream filling machine fills, seals and caps cultured dairy at up to 30 cups per minute - servo pistons hold +/-0.5% fill weight without shearing body.
The SDH-R is a fully automatic sour cream filling machine that denests, fills, membrane-seals and caps cultured dairy in one continuous rotary pass. A servo-driven volumetric piston moves cold sour cream as a plug instead of shearing it, so body, sheen and viscosity survive the trip from hopper to cup. Fill 50g to 500g into 4, 8, 10 or 16oz portion cups and retail tubs at up to 30 cups per minute. Designed and built in Calgary, Alberta by Alter Pack - see the full SDH-R machine specifications or request a quote.
Why the SDH-R Excels at Sour Cream
Gentle Fill That Protects Body
A servo-driven volumetric piston pushes cold sour cream as a plug rather than shearing it through a pump, so viscosity, sheen and mouthfeel reach the cup exactly as the culture tank left them.
+/-0.5% Fill Weight, 50g to 500g
Closed-loop servo metering holds +/-0.5% accuracy across 50g foodservice portion cups and 500g retail tubs, so you stop giving away overfill and stay inside declared net weight on every lane.
Tamper-Evident Seal, No Weeping
Roll-film membrane sealing with individually controlled temperature, pressure and dwell gives a flat, tamper-evident lid. Because product is never over-worked, syneresis and free whey on the seal face stay under control.
MAP Nitrogen Flush for 30-45+ Days
Optional modified atmosphere nitrogen flush lifts refrigerated shelf life from roughly 7-10 days to 30-45 days or more, opening distribution windows short-dated cultured dairy cannot support, without changing your recipe.
How the SDH-R Sour Cream Filling Machine Protects Cultured Dairy
Sour cream is a cultured, shear-sensitive product. Push it through a lobe pump, a long transfer line or an undersized nozzle and the gel structure that fermentation built breaks down permanently. The product thins, it does not recover, and within days you see syneresis - free whey pooling on the surface of the cup. That is why the sour cream filling machine at the centre of the SDH-R meters with a servo-driven volumetric piston instead of a pump.
The piston draws a measured volume into the cylinder and pushes it back out as a plug: the product moves, but it is not worked. Because the servo controls the whole stroke profile, you can slow the extrusion rate for a delicate full-fat cultured cream and raise it for a stabilised foodservice grade, all stored inside the same recipe. Nozzle open and close timing is servo-controlled as well, so cut-off lands at the same point in every stroke, and fill weight repeats to +/-0.5% anywhere between 50g and 500g.
What that means on the floor
- No permanent thinning. Viscosity in the cup matches viscosity in the tank, so QA specs hold from the first cup of a run to the last.
- Cold filling. The contact path is short and direct, so product stays at refrigerated fill temperature instead of warming in a recirculation loop.
- Clean surface presentation. A level cut-off leaves a smooth face under the membrane rather than a torn crater the shopper sees first.
- Predictable giveaway. Overfill is money; +/-0.5% turns it into a rounding error across a full shift.
The same volumetric platform runs across the range - the dip filling and sealing machine and the hummus filling machine share the identical servo piston - so a plant already running one recipe family can add cultured dairy without a new operator skill set or a second spare-parts inventory.
Portion Cups & Retail Tubs: One Sour Cream Packaging Machine, Every Format
Two different jobs hide behind the phrase sour cream packaging machine. One is the foodservice portion cup - 2oz to 4oz, filled by the thousand for taquerias, chain kitchens and meal-kit lines, where speed and seal integrity matter more than shelf appeal. The other is the retail tub - 8oz, 16oz and larger, sold under your own label, where the surface of the product is the first thing a shopper sees through the lid. The SDH-R runs both on the same frame.
Standard and custom cup formats
- Standard sizes: 4oz, 8oz, 10oz and 16oz cups run on stock tooling.
- Custom range: anything from 2oz to 32oz, quoted against your own cup and lid samples.
- Shapes: round, square and rectangular cups, including tapered retail tubs.
- Denesting: a pneumatic cup denester singulates reliably, including thin-wall material that nests tight when cold.
Sealing is where cultured dairy is won or lost. Roll-film membrane sealing produces a tamper-evident lid, and seal temperature, pressure and dwell are each set independently in the recipe, so a thin portion cup and a heavy retail tub can both be dialled in without compromise. Seal integrity is what a distributor's returns desk actually measures, so every parameter is stored with the SKU rather than chalked on the wall. Pre-cut lids are available where film supply or artwork demands them, and an optional snap-on lid applicator adds the reclose feature retail buyers ask for on 16oz tubs.
Changeover between formats is a tool-free strip-down plus a recipe recall on the HMI - typically under 15 minutes. If your line also handles thicker or chunkier products, the same chassis is sold as our dip filling and sealing machine, and plants packing chickpea products run the identical frame as a hummus cup filling machine. Bring cup samples to a line consultation and we will confirm tooling before you order.
CIP Sanitation & Dairy Allergen Control on an Automatic Sour Cream Filling Machine
Cultured dairy is unforgiving. Sour cream is a low-pH, high-moisture, nutrient-dense product; residue left in a cylinder overnight is a culture medium, and yeast or mould counts show up in finished goods long before anyone tastes a problem. Sanitation was designed into this automatic sour cream filling machine, not bolted on afterwards.
Every product-contact surface is food-grade 304 stainless steel. Hopper, cylinder, manifold and nozzles sit on a clean-in-place circuit, so caustic and sanitiser can be recirculated at the end of a run without disassembly, and the whole product path then strips down tool-free for the periodic teardown your HACCP plan and your auditor expect. There are no captive fasteners to lose in a drain and no hidden dead legs where a pocket of product can sit.
Allergen and audit discipline
- Dairy allergen changeover: a documented CIP cycle plus tool-free teardown makes a milk-to-non-dairy switch defensible on paper, not merely visually clean.
- Recipe traceability: the PLC and HMI store fill volume, seal temperature, pressure and dwell per SKU, so the settings that produced a lot can be shown after the fact.
- Certification: the machine ships CE, FDA and UL certified, which shortens the paperwork on a new line install.
- Wash-down build: stainless framing and sealed controls suit a cold, wet dairy room rather than a dry bakery floor.
Because the SDH-R is designed and built in Calgary, Alberta by Alter Pack, sanitary design questions are answered by the people who welded the frame - which is what you want from a dairy cup filling machine that has to pass a plant audit. Service centres in Alberta, New Jersey and California back a 12-month warranty, and the full SDH-R machine specifications are published rather than held back for a sales call.
Throughput, Pricing & Lead Time for a Sour Cream Cup Filling Machine
The SDH-R is rated at up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle. In a real dairy room, filling cold cultured cream into 8oz and 16oz tubs, plan on 18 to 25 cups per minute depending on fill weight, cup geometry and whether the nitrogen flush is running. We quote both numbers deliberately - a sour cream cup filling machine specified against a dry-cycle figure alone will disappoint on a Monday morning.
What the numbers mean for your line
At 20 cups per minute a single machine covers roughly 1,200 cups an hour, which on many regional dairy lines is enough to retire a hand-filling bench and redeploy the people who were scooping, wiping and lidding. One operator loads cups and film, watches the fill and palletises. The footprint is 44 x 52 inches, so the machine fits into an existing cold room without a building project or a new utility run.
Pricing starts at $45,000 USD for a base configuration. The options that move the number are the MAP nitrogen flush - the difference between roughly 7 to 10 days of refrigerated shelf life and 30 to 45 days or more - additional filler stations for drizzles or toppings, snap-on lid application, and custom cup tooling outside the 4, 8, 10 and 16oz standards. Standard delivery is 8 to 12 weeks from order.
Shelf life is usually the line item that pays for itself first, because it decides whether you can ship beyond a two-day radius or hold a listing that expects inventory buffer. Send your cup, your film and your target throughput to our team - request a quote for a sour cream filling machine and we will size the configuration against your actual SKU mix rather than a catalogue page.
Certified, Food-Grade Engineering Behind Every Sour Cream Filling Machine
CE, FDA & UL Certified
Every SDH-R ships with CE (European conformity), FDA (US food-contact) and UL (electrical safety) documentation - the paperwork your auditor, insurer and electrical authority ask to see.
Food-Grade 304 Stainless Steel
All product-contact surfaces are food-grade 304 stainless with CIP clean-in-place and tool-free strip-down, built for HACCP and BRCGS-audited facilities.
Servo-Driven Precision
A closed-loop servo volumetric piston holds +/-0.5% fill-weight accuracy across the full 50-500 g range, protecting net-content compliance and cutting product give-away.
Made in Calgary by Alter Pack
Designed and built in Calgary, Alberta, Canada by Alter Pack, with a 12-month warranty and North American service centres in Alberta, New Jersey and California.
SDH-R Sour Cream Filling Machine - Full Specifications
Complete specification for the SDH-R automatic rotary cup filling, sealing and cupping machine.
| Specification | SDH-R |
|---|---|
| Throughput | Up to 30 cups per minute (dry cycle) |
| Real-world output | 18-25 cups/min depending on product, cup size & options |
| Fill range | 50 g - 500 g (2 oz - 17 oz) |
| Fill-weight accuracy | +/-0.5% (servo-driven volumetric piston) |
| Standard cup sizes | 4 oz, 8 oz, 10 oz, 16 oz |
| Custom cup sizes | 2 oz - 32 oz with matching tooling |
| Cup shapes | Round, square, rectangular |
| Sealing | Roll-film membrane heat seal (tamper-evident) |
| Lidding options | Pre-cut lid | snap-on lid (pick-and-place) |
| Shelf-life option | MAP nitrogen flush - 7-10 days to 30-45+ days refrigerated |
| Filler stations | Up to 3 (base + drizzle + garnish in one pass) |
| Construction | Food-grade 304 stainless steel |
| Cleaning | CIP clean-in-place + tool-free strip-down |
| Controls | PLC + HMI with recipe storage & diagnostics |
| Changeover | Under ~15 minutes between SKUs |
| Certifications | CE, FDA, UL |
| Footprint | 44 x 52 in (1,100.5 x 1,315.5 mm) |
| Height | 65.6 in |
| Origin | Made in Calgary, Alberta, Canada by Alter Pack |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Delivery | 8-12 weeks from order confirmation |
| Starting price | From $45,000 USD |
The SDH-R Sour Cream Filling Machine
Products It Fills
Available In These Markets
How the SDH-R Fills & Seals Sour Cream
Fully automatic from empty cup to sealed, retail-ready product - no manual labour
Cup Denesting
Empty cups are automatically separated from a nested stack and placed into the rotary table carriers. The pneumatic denester handles round, square, and rectangular cups from 2oz to 32oz.
Servo-Driven Filling
The volumetric piston filler draws a precise dose and dispenses it into the cup. Servo control adjusts stroke length and speed per recipe, maintaining plus/minus 0.5% fill-weight accuracy. The PLC stores recipes for quick changeovers.
Membrane Heat Sealing
Roll-stock film is drawn across the filled cup and heat-sealed to create a tamper-evident, airtight membrane. Sealing temperature, pressure, and dwell time are individually controlled to match your film and cup materials.
Snap-On Lid (Optional)
A pick-and-place mechanism applies a consumer-friendly snap-on lid over the membrane seal - a two-barrier system providing tamper evidence and reclosability for grocery retail and foodservice.
MAP Nitrogen Flush (Optional)
Modified Atmosphere Packaging replaces headspace oxygen with food-grade nitrogen immediately before sealing, typically extending refrigerated shelf life from 7-10 days to 30-45+ days.
Sour Cream Filling Machine - Frequently Asked Questions
The SDH-R starts at $45,000 USD for a base configuration - denester, single servo piston filler, roll-film membrane sealer and PLC controls. MAP nitrogen flush, additional filler stations, snap-on lidding and custom cup tooling are quoted on top. Standard delivery is 8 to 12 weeks from order, with a 12-month warranty included.
Up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle. In production with cold cultured cream, plan on 18 to 25 cups per minute; larger fills, narrow cup mouths and nitrogen flushing all pull the number toward the lower end. We size configurations against your real SKU mix, not the dry-cycle rating.
No. A servo-driven volumetric piston displaces product as a plug instead of shearing it through a pump or a long line, so the gel structure built during fermentation survives the fill. That matters because cultured cream that is over-worked thins permanently and then weeps - free whey on the surface of a sealed cup.
Yes, with the optional MAP nitrogen flush. Headspace oxygen is displaced immediately before the membrane seals, which typically takes refrigerated sour cream from roughly 7 to 10 days out to 30 to 45 days or more. For most dairies that is what makes regional distribution and chain listings viable.
All product-contact surfaces are food-grade 304 stainless steel. A clean-in-place circuit recirculates caustic and sanitiser through the hopper, cylinder, manifold and nozzles without disassembly, and the full product path strips down tool-free for periodic teardown and allergen verification. Format and recipe changeovers typically complete in under 15 minutes.
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