StarVac founder, Lothar Künzel, and his family recently completed a successful ascent of Mt Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

The StarVac Team reached an elevation of 5,895m, an altitude at which the effective oxygen concentration and atmospheric pressure are less than half the conditions at ground level.

Despite his shortness of breath, Lothar was quick to point out that his family took 7 days to reach the Kilimanjaro summit at an atmospheric pressure of 478 mbar, whereas the StarVac Systems packaging machines can reach a vacuum level of 1 mbar, equivalent to an elevation of 32,453m, in just 3 seconds!

He also experienced the significant reduction in oxygen level at these altitudes, which is so critical in vacuum processing for food preservation. His “shelf life” is now extended by many days!