Founded in 1956, Vitaminka AD Prilep has grown from a ground red pepper producer to a key regional player in the Balkans. The North Macedonian company produces snacks, spices, sauces, sweets and instant drinks. The brand Cevitana is a popular vitamin powder mix in Southeast Europe that serves as a sweet and vitamin-rich alternative to soft drinks, once dissolved in water. The powder is made by blending ingredients like sugar, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, flavorings (like orange), and various vitamins (C, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, E) with a starch slurry, followed by drying and processing the mixture into a granule. Energy Scouts Darko Basaroski, Igor Aceski and Oliver Koteski focused on improving the heating/drying process in the so called instantizers, as it demands considerable amounts of heat energy. The production line operates with four instantizers of different capacities.
Traditionally, heating during the instant beverage production process was provided by steam generated from a boiler operating on extra-light fuel oil. The steam passes through plate heat exchangers to provide the required thermal energy. The installed steam boiler has an annual energy consumption of 1,500 MWh. Based on average monthly production data, the production of 56 tonnes of instant beverage required 4,864.9 liters of extra-light fuel oil, corresponding to 0.0861 liters of fuel per kilogram of product, or 0.09 € per kilogram. This energy intensive process results in relatively high fuel costs, significant CO₂ emissions, as well as additional electricity consumption and water use.
As a pilot project, the Energy Scouts implemented an alternative heating solution on one of the instantizers by installing a thermogen operating on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). During the pilot phase, the production of 29 tons of instant beverage required only 411.5 kg of LPG, equivalent to 0.014 kg of LPG per kilogram of product, or 0.02 € per kilogram.
Fuel switch saves energy, reduces costs and co2 emissions
The fuel switch from extra-light fuel oil to LPG results in substantial energy and cost savings:
- Fuel energy savings: 547.6 MWh thermal per year
- CO2 emission reduction: 146.97 t CO2
In addition to fuel savings, the project also led to a reduction in electricity consumption:
- Installed electrical power of the steam boiler: 13.2 kWh
- Installed electrical power of the thermogen: 6.5 kWh
This difference results in annual electricity savings of 42.45 MWh, corresponding to a reduction of 22.07 t CO2 In addition, the steam boiler requires significant water consumption for operation:
- 600 liters of water for each start-up (coil filling)
- 800 liters of daily water losses due to ion-exchange resin regeneration and condensate discharge
- Additional feedwater tank of 2,000 liters
In contrast, the thermogen operates without any water consumption. As a result, the annual water savings amount to 245 m³, leading to an additional 0.12 t CO2 reduction per year associated with water use.
The financial view
By combining fuel, electricity and water savings, the annual costs are reduced by 53,402 € while the environmental impact is lowered at the same time. The total investment required for the implementation of this solution amounts to ~ 100,000 €. Based on the annual savings achieved, the payback period is approximately 1,9 years, making this project both environmentally and economically attractive. The results achieved at Vitaminka highlight the strong potential for scaling this solution to additional instantizers, further supporting the company’s transition toward more sustainable and resource-efficient production.
Process Optimization
- Industry Sector: Food industry
- Energy Source: Heating oil -> Liquefied petroleum gas
- Energy saving potential: 547.6 MWh heating oil
- Total CO2 emission saving potential: 146.97 t/year
- Potential cost reduction: 53,402 €/year
- Investment costs: ~100,000 €
- Payback period: 1.9 years
- Company:
Lece Koteski 23
7500 Prilep
North Macedonia
