Stainless 10 Gallon Commercial | Small Dairy | Butter Churn

General Construction and Specifications

Note: The rolling cart in some of the pictures is not included.

Butter Churns are manufactured in the USA by Sunrise Metal, Topeka Indiana. The Amish-owned and operated factory established in 1971 specializes in the manufacturing of food-grade equipment for processing maple syrup and dairy operations. The churns carry a 10-year warranty on the stainless steel housing, a 5-year warranty on the shaft, paddles, bearings, and a 1-year warranty on the motor and electronics.

While 3-A Sanitary Standards Committees in conjunction with the U.S.D.A does not have published specific requirements for small-batch butter churns. They do, however, provide guidelines to the construction and the type of materials that churn should be made of. The Sunrise butter churns follow these guidelines.

For more information see General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service Effective June 29, 2012.

§ 58.128 Equipment and utensils. § 58.316 Conventional churns. § 58.317 Bulk butter trucks, boats, texturizers, and packers. 

Main Body Construction: Made of 304 #4 brushed food grade 12-14-ga stainless steel. Stainless steel joints are welded and then ground and polished smooth for food contact and sanitizing using standard milk house procedures.

Lid Construction: The lid is constructed of 16ga 304 Stainless-Steel. The lid is made to slope a 2° to reduce droplets. It is equipped with an outside and inner lip to reduce splash out. A tri-clamp connector is welded on the top of the lid and equipped with a seal and glass cap for a visual inspection of the cream-making process to reduce the need to open and close the lid.

Shaft, Paddles, and Bearings:  The mixing paddles are made from 12ga 304 Stainless-Steel welded to a 304 Stainless Rod that is then capped at each end to make a seamless smooth polished one-piece unit from end to end.

The paddle unit is completely removable from the churn for cleaning and sanitizing. A food-grade UMMW bearing slides out the front through a food-grade sanitary tri-clamp removable connector welded on the front of the main body. The rear of the paddle unit has a Stainless-Steel plate welded to the end of the rod that mates to a two-prong Stainless-Steel plate welded on the end of the motor shaft. When the paddles are removed the plates are fully assessable for cleaning and sanitizing.

The motor shaft is made of stainless steel and fitted with two food-grade O rings to prevent the cream from running back into the shaft housing, which penetrates the rear of the churn body through a stainless-steel housing.

Drainage/Washout: A secondary tri-clamp connector is welded to the front of the churn. This connector is equipped with a sanitary food grade 1-1/2” butterfly valve and elbow for easier washout. The valve and elbow parts disassemble for cleaning and sanitizing. The lid is not equipped with an interlock switch to turn the machine off when the lid is open, therefore, allowing it to be removed during the operation for washout procedures while the churn is being run at a slow speed. Operator caution and safety will need to be exercised to keep sleeves and hands clear and to only operate the machine at slow speeds during washout while the lid is removed.

Motor/Controller: The electric motor has a variable speed controller that will begin to make butter in approximately 8-10 minutes. The overall process should take 20-30 minutes for a complete batch based on a 30% butterfat cream. Individual experiences may vary based on the type of cream being used. Speed range from 0 up for slow processing and wash out.

8 Gallon Churn 1HP Motor

10 Gallon Churn 1HP Motor

15 Gallon Churn 1-1/2HP Motor

The 8-10-gallon churns are wired for US 110-115 Volt 60 cycles single phase at 7.5 Amps.

The 15-gallon churn uses a 1-1/2 HP motor wired for US 220 volts 60 cycles single phase rated at 10.5 Amps. A 220-volt 50 HZ motor and controller are available for International use. The churn will come without a plug for direct wire or add a plug on location. 

Measurement and Weights: These are full-capacity churns based on the rated gallon size. Smaller batches can also be churned per the following:

8-Gallon Churn= 3-8-gallon capacity

10-Gallon Churn= 4-10-gallon capacity

15-Gallon Churn= 5-15-gallon capacity

8-Gallon churn overall measures 46” Long x 18” Wide x 22” Tall. The inside tub measures 12” Wide x 19” x 18” Deep and weighs 125 lbs.

10-Gallon churn overall measures 50-1/2” long x 18” Wide x 22” Tall. The inside tub measures 22-1/2” Long x 12” Wide x 19” Deep and weighs 135 lbs.

15-Gallon churn overall measures 59” long x 18” Wide x 25” Tall. The inside tub measures 26” Long x 16” Wide x 22” Deep and weighs 155 lbs.

Shipping: The Butter Churn will need to be sent by truck freight. Select the F.O.B. shipping quote or shipping deposit using the drop-down box.

The shipping deposit is an estimate of what the crating, handling, and truck freight will run. We will either refund the difference if the shipping deposit is more or we will contact you for the additional amount if the actual shipping cost is estimated to be 10% higher than the deposit. Since 2020 material prices for crating have quadrupled reflected in the estimated shipping deposit.

Each churn is custom-made per order; please allow 4-6 weeks for manufacturing and shipping. During the busy spring maple syrup season, Jan-March custom orders may take 6-8 weeks.

You should also check with your local dairy inspection or health authority for approvals, permits, and other requirements to use a butter churn commercially.

For a delicious twist try adding: Honey and cinnamon, fresh parsley, tarragon, and thyme, roasted red pepper, and garlic, roasted red pepper and garlic, lemon zest juice, and fresh dill.

International Customers: We receive many inquiries regarding shipping to the UK and Europe. A 220-Volt 50 Hz controller and a motor are available. The churn is over the size and weight limit for USPS Priority International. Traditional UPS and DHL rates are expensive thus, we recommend that International customers work directly through a US forwarding service like Bonvu.com, Bongus.com, or many others offering this service at reduced rates. We can then ship to your agent. US freight cost to the agent will still apply unless the agent arranges for F.O.B pickup at the factory in the state of Indiana USA.

We also have a 25-Gallon Churn. Click Here for more information.