Founded in 1985 in Italy’s Romagna region, CEPI SpA has grown into an internationally recognised leader in technologies for the food industry. Originally established as a company specialising in the storage, conveying, and dosing of powdered and liquid raw materials for the baking sector, CEPI has built its success by combining advanced process engineering with a deep understanding of bakery production. Over four decades, the company has continuously expanded and refined its solutions, complementing traditional material handling systems with cutting-edge technologies for ingredient preparation and the management of biological processes.
Scaling Traditional Fermentation
Among CEPI’s most significant innovations is its range of industrial tanks and fermenters designed for the production of liquid sourdough, poolish, yeast solutions, and re-work recovery systems. These installations were developed to address one of the most important challenges facing modern baking: bringing traditional and natural fermentation methods to an industrial scale while preserving superior product quality, consistency, efficiency, and complete process repeatability.
CEPI fermenters are designed to manage the entire fermentation cycle automatically, starting with the precise mixing of water, flour, and starter cultures. To accurately control microbial activity and acidity development, the tanks are equipped with heating and cooling jackets for precise temperature regulation, combined with specially engineered agitation and mixing systems that maintain product homogeneity without affecting its molecular structure.
Mounted on load cells and integrated with proprietary PLC and process management software, the systems continuously monitor key fermentation parameters such as temperature, time, and ingredient dosing. Once the desired maturation level has been achieved, the fermenter automatically lowers the temperature to stop the fermentation process, preserving the product until it is automatically transferred to the dough mixers.
Food safety and hygiene are another cornerstone of CEPI technology. The fermenters are designed for seamless integration with Clean-In-Place (CIP) systems, enabling fully automated closed-loop washing and sanitization cycles. This solution minimizes downtime while reducing water, energy, and detergent consumption, ensuring the highest hygiene standards alongside greater operational efficiency.
Looking Ahead to Südback 2026
As demand for industrial fermentation technologies continues to grow, CEPI remains committed to supporting bakery manufacturers with innovative, reliable, and sustainable solutions. The company will be present at Südback 2026, one of Europe’s leading trade fairs for the baking and confectionery industry, where visitors will have the opportunity to discover CEPI’s latest developments in sourdough fermentation, ingredient handling, process automation, and hygienic plant design. The event will provide an ideal platform for bakery professionals to explore how CEPI’s technologies can help combine traditional baking excellence with the efficiency and consistency required by modern industrial production.
