FriPura filter set to ‘revolutionise’ pub and restaurant fryers

Yorkshire company FriPura has invested upwards of £1m in developing the patented product since 2012.

Tests have shown the filter can almost double the life of cooking oil, offering cost, health and environmental benefits to commercial catering.

The filter reduces impurities and harmful elements in the oil, some of which are created in the frying process, and also reduces the amount of oil absorbed by the food.

In its first year of launch, the filter has been adopted by a number of restaurant and bar chains, including Geronimo, The Lovely Pub Company, Youngs, Wadworth and Peach.

FriPura is now aiming to grow to £100m turnover in the next five years.

Sam Wilbraham, executive chef and marketing director at FriPura, said response to the filter has been “fantastic”.

“The filter is there to halve the need for deep fat fryer oil changes,” he said.

“While it’s working, it improves the health of the food, it improves the taste of the food and uses less oil. It saves money, but there are also huge environmental benefits to it as well.”

Chefs that have been introduced to the system initially “can’t quite believe” the filter can do. “But when they see it work and see the quality of the food, they become our strongest advocates”, he said.

Michael Hall, head chef at The Farm, part of The Lovely Pub Company, said the kitchen used to change oil every 2.5 days. With the filter, it is now five days.

“I have also noticed that the quality of produce fried has improved, becoming crispier and less greasy,” he said.

FriPura can be used in commercial fryers across all catering, which could lead to sales of 50 million filters a year. “The scope is huge,” Mr Wilbraham said.