Napa brewery Hanabi Lager Company becomes the first in California to deploy CO2 refrigeration as both its primary cooling and hot water system.
NAPA, Calif., March 20, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The First PROGreen50, PRO Refrigeration's newest Chiller series has been delivered, and installation has begun at Hanabi Lager Co. in Napa, California. When commissioned later this month, Hanabi will become the first brewery in California to utilize a CO₂-based refrigeration system as both its primary cooling system and its primary source of hot water via waste heat recovery. The installation is also believed to be the first brewery in the continental United States to rely on CO₂ refrigeration in this fully integrated role.
The PG50 system was publicly introduced last month at the World Ag Expo, where PRO Refrigeration unveiled the new 30–50 HP CO₂ refrigeration platform designed to deliver reliable process cooling while simultaneously recovering valuable heat for on-site use. Following the debut, the system shipped directly from the show to Napa, where it is now being craned into place and prepared for startup later this month.
Hanabi Lager Company's Nick Gislason, who in addition to leading the Hanabi team also serves as winemaker at the renowned Screaming Eagle Vineyards in Napa, California. His deep experience with fermentation, temperature control, and facility process engineering makes Hanabi a fitting location for the first PG50 installation.
"This project captures exactly what the PG50 platform was designed to accomplish," said Jim VanderGiessen Jr., President & CEO of PRO Refrigeration. "It allows producers to move to natural refrigerants while capturing valuable waste heat that would otherwise be lost. Hanabi is demonstrating how cooling and heating can be engineered together into one highly efficient system."
The PG50 system will provide primary process cooling for the brewery while simultaneously recovering waste heat from the refrigeration cycle to serve as Hanabi's primary hot water source, significantly improving overall energy efficiency and reducing fossil fuel consumption for water heating.
"For us, this system represents the future of how breweries, wineries, and really, any food or beverage production facility will think about refrigeration," said Nick Gislason of Hanabi Lager Co. "Natural refrigerants for health of the planet, waste heat recovery that we expect will supplant between 60-90% of our fossil fuel water heating needs, and precision temperature control of our fermentations, all working together."
The project reflects close collaboration between Hanabi and PRO's engineering team.
"The PG50 platform combines reliability, efficiency, and natural refrigerant technology in a way that fits exactly where the craft beverage industry is heading," said Damon Reed of PRO Refrigeration. "Seeing the first system take shape from concept, to reality, and now landing in the field for real-world use is a big milestone."
Until now, PRO Refrigeration has primarily proven the performance of its CO₂-based refrigeration systems in the dairy industry, where installations have demonstrated measurable efficiency gains in direct comparisons with conventional synthetic refrigerant systems. Waste heat recovery delivers a rapid and consistent return on investment, reducing on-farm fossil fuel use by two-thirds (or more) on most installations.
PRO Refrigeration developed, built, and installed its first PROGreen CO₂ system five years ago, and today PROGreen systems support more than 100,000 dairy cows daily across installations from California to South Dakota. The Hanabi Lager Co. project represents the next step in expanding that proven technology into the craft beverage sector and beyond.
Production of the ProGreen50™ platform is currently underway at PRO Refrigeration's manufacturing facility in North Carolina, with systems preparing to deploy across the markets PRO serves, including breweries, dairy farms, wineries, distilleries, and other food and beverage operations.
Startup of the Hanabi system is expected later this month.
Media Contact
Marketing Team, Pro Refrigeration, 1 253-735-9466, [email protected], https://prochiller.com/
Jim VanderGiessen, Pro Refrigeration, [email protected], https://prochiller.com/
SOURCE Pro Refrigeration
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