Your Best Manufacturing Partner For
Commercial IQF | Freeze-Drying | Chocolate Enrobing & More
Welcome to Empire
Exceptional products begin with a commitment to quality manufacturing and a deep understanding of market trends.
At Empire Freezing & Drying, we are dedicated to delivering superior food manufacturing solutions tailored to our customers’ needs. Our capabilities include individual quick freezing (IQF), freeze-drying, chocolate enrobing, powder processing, and more. From product development and processing to packaging, our end-to-end solutions and experienced team help transform your ideas into market-ready products.
Founded in 2018, Empire Freezing & Drying brings together more than 35 years of industry experience. Since our founding, we have built strong customer partnerships, launched products to major retail chains, and quadrupled our manufacturing capacity.
As we continue to grow, our commitment remains the same: combining manufacturing expertise, innovation, and reliable service to help our customers bring high-quality food products to market.
- Location: 25,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility located in Newark, NJ
- Products: Smoothie chips, ice cream chips, yogurt chips, glucose melts, yogurt melts, puree bites, coffee bites, and other innovative products. Our patented technology enables us to transform anything into pellet form — food, beverages, and everything in between.
- Values: People-oriented, customer-focused, and top quality and continuous innovation.
- Strengths: Quick turnaround time on research and development (R&D), a highly qualified and experienced team.
- Certificates: USDA Organic, FDA, BRC, COR, OU Kosher, Non-GMO
Our Services
Individual Quick Freezing (IQF)
Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) rapidly freezes food products, helping preserve their natural quality, texture, flavor, and appearance. Unlike conventional freezing, which can take several hours, our IQF tunnel can freeze many products in 20 minutes or less, depending on the product and process conditions.
By quickly passing through the critical ice-crystal formation zone, IQF helps minimize ice crystal growth, reduce damage to food structure, and maintain product quality after thawing.
From fruits and vegetables to smoothies and ice cream, IQF technology offers versatile freezing solutions for a wide range of applications.
Freeze Drying
Freeze-drying is an advanced preservation method that helps retain a product’s flavor, color, structure, and nutritional quality while extending shelf life. Achieving consistent, high-quality results requires specialized equipment, technical expertise, and precise process control.
At Empire Freezing & Drying, we combine advanced technology with manufacturing expertise to deliver reliable, scalable freeze-drying solutions tailored to your product needs. The process involves three stages—freezing, primary drying (sublimation), and secondary drying (desorption)—with cycle times typically ranging from 20 to 40 hours, depending on the product and process requirements.
Chocolate Enrobing
Chocolate enrobing enhances the flavor, appearance, and appeal of snacks and confections by coating them in a smooth, consistent layer of chocolate. Suitable for a wide range of products and production volumes, it offers brands a versatile way to elevate their offerings and attract more customers.
At Empire Freezing & Drying, our advanced enrobing lines deliver uniform coatings with speed and efficiency, helping brands scale production, maintain consistent quality, and meet growing market demand.
Powdering
Adding superfood powders or any powdered food or drink to your product line? After freeze-drying your product, we process it in our special milling machine to create powders that can be blended into smoothies or added to recipes.
Empire Freezing & Drying overcomes your powder processing challenges, helping you provide the highest quality foods and ingredients for your customers.
Flexible Packaging Solutions
At Empire, we offer versatile packaging solutions to meet the needs of different products, brands, and retail channels. Our packaging capabilities include stand-up pouches, pillow packs, and cups, providing flexible options for a wide range of food products.
Whether you're launching a new product, expanding your product line, or looking for a reliable co-packing partner, our team works with you to find the right packaging format for your product and market.
Research & Development
Our R&D experts specialize in developing custom recipes for IQF, freeze-dried, and chocolate enrobed products that bring your vision to life. Combining innovative R&D with proven manufacturing expertise, we focus on delivering exceptional flavor, texture, product performance, and consistent quality.
Our Process: Concept → Development → Testing → Sampling → Production → Market Launch
Meet Our Team
Dedicated professionals driving our success
Robert Zubrow
Chief Executive Officer
Rob is the driving force behind the company’s strategic vision and growth. With over 40 years of executive leadership managing manufacturing businesses across various countries, he brings a proven track record of business transformation, operational excellence, and strategic growth.
David Rosenberg
Founder & Chief Innovation Officer
David loves taking on new ideas and concepts. With his many years of experience as entrepreneur in the food industry, David founded the company and has helped Empire to get where it is today. David graduated from BMG Lakewood.
Jing Wu
Chief Operating Officer
Jing brings 20 years extensive experience in the food and private-label industries, with an MBA from UVA’s Darden School of Business and a Master of Engineering from HUST. Her leadership strengthens customer partnerships and drives technology-enabled efficiency across the organization.
Xavier Armas
R&D Manager
Xavier is a food scientist and R&D professional with a Doctorate in Food Biochemistry and an MBA in Business Management. He brings over 20 years of experience designing and scaling food technologies across Latin America and the U.S.