No Crying Over Spilled Soy Milk

The Beaulieu family has been growing its own GMO-free soybeans and making them into Unisoya tofu for over 30 years. The company sources its products locally and has recently enjoyed booming business, as evolving consumer attitudes towards soybeans and soy-based products have driven up demand for its product in recent years.

In 2019, the company embarked on a new-build factory to double its floor space and expand production capacity. As a result, they sought modernized facilities with a durable floor designed to withstand the heavy-load industrial equipment – and the chemical and thermal shocks – that their processes require.

When MAPEI coordinator Alain Pomerleau took the owners on a tour of an existing food-production facility that featured MAPEI’s Mapefloor industrial-flooring systems, the Beaulieu family was quickly convinced that the flooring was exactly what they were looking for to cover the new 17,000-square-foot (1 579-m²) concrete slab of their new factory floor, as well as the building’s logistics areas. But that was not all. Seeing the solution’s design flexibility and ability to provide a high aesthetic with broadcast Mapeflakes decorative vinyl flakes, the owners went a step further and installed the resinous solution in 3,000 square feet (279 m²) of office, stairs and cafeteria space as well.

MAPEI on the job

The surface preparation of the new factory floor’s concrete slab was the first step. Contractors from Precision Restauration and Protecsol used “blast-track” shotblasting equipment to bring the slab to a concrete surface profile (CSP) of #4 per International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) standards.

With that job complete, the contractors first applied MAPEI’s Primer SN two-component, filled epoxy primer and then used Mapefloor CPU/SB polyurethane/cement-based screed, which features a high level of chemical resistance. Mapefloor CPU/SB is formulated to cover industrial floors that are subject to medium- to heavy-traffic flow, aggressive chemicals, and thermal shock in compliance with the rigorous standards applied in the food and beverage industries. Its sister product, Mapefloor CPU/COVE, was used for detailing and coving, joint repair, and fixing of drains. As a topcoat, Mapefloor CPU/TC polyurethane/cement-based coating was applied as a durable protective finish.

For the non-production areas, such as the cafeteria and stairs (where both a high aesthetic and an easy-maintenance solution was sought), Protecsol contractors used MAPEI’s Mapefloor I 302 SL epoxy resin into which they broadcast decorative Mapeflakes to attain surfaces that were flat and seamless. Finally, they added Mapecoat Universal high-gloss epoxy resin, which served as a clear binder in these areas.

Now, in full operation, the modernized factory is turning out tofu in quantities that the Beaulieu family previously never experienced. Maintaining the production area has never been easier either, and worker safety is not a problem with a durable, non-slip flooring solution that is specifically tailored for the food and beverage industry. Plus, the glossy decorative flooring in the non-production areas serves notice that this is a company where quality presentation and attention to detail matter.