In an age of on-demand everything, it’s perhaps no surprise that the foodservice industry is rethinking how it chills beverages. For decades, refrigeration has been a fixed process – slow, energy-hungry and space-intensive. But British innovation brand V-Tex, part of Enviro-Cool, is pioneering something radically different: instant chilling on demand.
“It’s not magic,” says Paul Harper, global head of business and sales for V-Tex. “It’s just a combination of very cold water and clever fluid dynamics – and a big rethink of how refrigeration should work.”
At its core, the V-Tex system uses a vortex of near-freezing water to draw heat rapidly from a bottle or can. A spin cycle alternates directions to expand and retract the vortex, efficiently removing heat from the container’s surface. This process can chill a bottle of wine to serving temperature in around three minutes, or a can of water in just 60 seconds.
Speeding up refrigeration is more than a party trick – it’s a practical solution to one of hospitality’s oldest problems: limited refrigeration capacity. “Restaurants never have enough fridge space,” says Harper. “If you get a run on your rosé and sell out the chilled bottles, you’ll be stuck waiting 45 minutes for the next bottles to cool. V-Tex chills so quickly that there’s no interruption to service.”
By chilling only what’s needed, when it’s needed, operators can store most beverages at ambient temperature and free up valuable back-of-house or bar space. And that gives consultants and designers, working with ever-smaller kitchen footprints, some much-needed flexibility. “The less room you need for static refrigeration, the more you can dedicate to front-of-house,” says Harper.
The sustainability benefits are equally compelling. Conventional refrigeration consumes energy 24/7 even when stock sits unused for days, whereas V-Tex consumes 0.03 kWh in standby and only 0.25kWh when in use, saving 80-90% in energy consumption. “Traditional refrigeration is like leaving your car running in the garage just in case you need to go out,” says Harper. “We’re saying, only start it when you’re ready.”
It’s already revolutionized one major Australian drinks retailer’s operations. “They told us the whole store is now chilled for the cost of running one V-Tex unit,” says Harper. This efficiency isn’t just about commercial advantage. In regions facing soaring energy prices and strict carbon-reduction targets, it’s a necessity.
And then there’s the theater. The system’s compact, plug-and-play design means it can sit front-of-house, chilling bottles to order in view of the guests. “It becomes part of the service,” says Harper. “You show the guest the wine, chill it to the winemaker’s recommendation in front of them, and deliver it perfectly cooled. It’s a great talking point.”
Like the air fryer in home kitchens, V-Tex is a disruptive new category. It’s faster, cleaner and more energy-efficient, but it’s there to complement – rather than replace – traditional systems. “We all still have ovens,” says Harper, “but we use air fryers because they’re faster and more efficient. That’s exactly what V-Tex is for chilling.”
For more information get in touch: paulharper@v-tex.cool
