Hoshizaki America Partners with Refrigerant Provider to Deliver R290 Products to Foodservice Market

They collaborate on the Steelheart Commercial Kitchen Refrigeration Series.

The Hoshizaki Steelheart Commercial Kitchen Refrigeration Series, which operates on R290.

Hoshizaki America, a Peachtree City, Georgia (U.S.)-based manufacturer has collaborated with refrigerant provider Diversified CPC International (DCPC) in transitioning its Steelheart Commercial Kitchen Refrigeration Series to propane (R290).

“Protecting the environment has never been more important than it is right now,” said Sally Ray, Hoshizaki director of marketing. “The R290 refrigerant supplied by DCPC enables us to produce an efficient, low GWP product and provides a smaller carbon footprint.”

To accommodate the transition to R290, Hoshizaki has retrofitted the company’s manufacturing facility in Bullock, Georgia. As part of the retrofit, DCPC installed a 2,000gal (7,570L) bulk storage tank and assisted in training Hoshizaki technicians in the proper procedures for safely handling the product.  “We decided to focus on R290 more than any other type of refrigerant because we think that it will be the dominant future option for this industry,” Ray said.

DCPC produces R290 at its purification plant in Channahon, Illinois (U.S.)  To meet growing customer demand, a second production facility is currently under construction in Beaumont, Texas (U.S.) DCPC  said its high purity hydrocarbon natural refrigerants, such as R290 (refrigerant grade propane), are 99.5% to 99.8+% pure.

Foodservice products

Hoshizaki America designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of energy-efficient products for the foodservice industry, such as ice machines, refrigerators, freezers, prep tables, display cases, and dispensers.

The company announced plans to use hydrocarbon refrigerants across its entire European product line by 2018, and introduced. Its R290-based Steelheart Commercial Kitchen Refrigeration Series in 2019.

Hoshizaki America received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award for the 7th year in a row in 2021.


We decided to focus on R290 more than any other type of refrigerant because we think that it will be the dominant future option for this industry." – Sally Ray, Hoshizaki America.



By Ntsako Khosa

May 11, 2021, 07:46




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