Freeze-drying in 6 steps: how our meals rehydrate so easily
The process of freeze drying
Imagine yourself on top of a mountain, the sun setting on the horizon.
Your stomach is growling after an exhausting day of hiking.
You take a Treko packet out of your bag, add hot water, and a few minutes later you're enjoying a meal worthy of a gourmet restaurant.
But how did we get here?
Let me tell you our story.
The beginning of the Treko adventure with freeze-drying
It all started in 2019.
At Treko, we had a vision: to create eco-friendly adventure meals that didn't compromise on taste or nutrition.
Our first idea? Dehydration .
It was the classic method, after all.
But before we got started, we wanted to do our homework. We organized a tasting of competing dehydrated products. The verdict was clear:
“These vegetables stick to your teeth!”
"The texture is really unpleasant..."
“It doesn’t rehydrate well, it’s disappointing.”
These comments resonated with an experience I had in my youth.
I remembered tasting freeze dried foods and being impressed by their quality (and the name!).
That's when the idea came to us: what if we opted for freeze-drying ?
The revelation
The more we explored this avenue, the more convinced we were. Freeze-drying seemed to offer the benefits we were looking for:
- A preserved texture
- Easy and quick rehydration
- An authentic taste
- Almost intact nutritional value
But how does this “culinary magic” actually work?
To understand, let's dive behind the scenes of our production facility.
Take the example of our delicious Boreal Pea Soup , a revisited Quebec classic.
Here's how it works at Treko:
1. Preparation
It all starts in our kitchen. We prepare our Boreal Pea Soup with care, using fresh, local ingredients.
Yellow peas simmer gently with celery, carrots and onions, creating a comforting and fragrant blend.
Once the soup is ready, we let it cool.
2. Entrance into the freeze dryer
Once cooled, our soup is ready for its extraordinary journey. To improve the performance of freeze drying, we put the soup in the freezer to begin the process.
Once everything is frozen, we place it in our state-of-the-art freeze dryer. This is where the magic really begins.
3. Freezing
The first step is a rapid and intense freezing. The temperature in the freeze dryer drops drastically, reaching -18°C or even lower.
4. Sublimation (or drying)
Then something incredible happens. The pressure in the machine is reduced, creating a near vacuum environment (below 500 mtorr) .
Under these conditions, the frozen water in our soup turns directly into steam , without passing through the liquid state.
This is called sublimation. This process can last for more than 24 hours , gently extracting moisture while preserving flavors and nutrients.
5. Final drying
Finally, gentle heat is applied for another 2 hours .
This removes the last traces of moisture, thus preserving our Boreal Pea Soup optimally.
6. Bagging
Once the process is complete, our soup, now freeze-dried, is carefully packaged in airtight, compostable bags.
She is ready to accompany you on your adventures!
The result?
A freeze-dried version of our Boreal Pea Soup that retains up to 95% of its nutrients and all its flavors.
When you rehydrate it in the wild, you will find the authentic and comforting taste of this Quebec classic, as if it had just been prepared.
It’s this same magic that we apply to all our Treko meals. Whether it’s our Chili sans Limite , our Cretons d’Expédition or our Couscous Aventurier , each dish goes through this meticulous process to offer you the best of adventure cuisine.
The adventure continues
To summarize, the freeze drying process boils down to this:
- Food preparation
- Entry into the freezer then into the freeze dryer (16 hours)
- Freezing in the freeze dryer (2 hours)
- Sublimation cycle (more than 40 hours)
- Final drying (2 hours)
- Bagging
At Treko, quality takes time. 60 hours to freeze-dry a batch of meals. It's a long time, we know.
But every second counts.
Why so much patience? To offer you the best in the great outdoors. Imagine yourself at the top of Mount Albert. The view is spectacular.
You take out your Treko Limitless Chili . Add hot water.
A few minutes later, you taste it. It's like homemade . At that moment, you understand. Those 60 hours were worth it.
Our philosophy is simple: patience pays off, in the kitchen and on the trails.
Each Treko meal is unique. It is meticulous and passionate work.
Are you ready?Your lunch breaks will never be the same again.
