DOKTEK SPECIAL · WALNUT THREADING
Engineering projectChurchkhela Walnut Piercing & Threading Automation
Before churchkhela is dipped, dozens of walnut kernels are pierced and threaded onto a string by hand, one at a time. DOKTEK FoodTech is engineering a machine for exactly that step: positioning each kernel, piercing it and transferring it onto the thread until a finished string is ready for dipping.
Engineering project / validation. The machine is in engineering development and validation of its critical steps; no production machine, footage, capacity or reference is published yet.
Machine summary
- Status
- Engineering project / validation
- Input
- Shelled walnut kernels (halves); other nuts reviewed per project
- Output
- Kernels threaded on string, ready for dipping
- Core steps
- Position, pierce, transfer to thread, accumulate, release
- Capacity
- Not published — subject to validation
- Scope
- Threading only; cracking, dipping and drying stay outside the machine
Why Threading Is Still Done by Hand
Churchkhela, köme and walnut sausage are dipped by the batch, but the strings they are dipped on are made one kernel at a time. It is the most labour-intensive step of production.
No two kernels match
Walnut halves vary in size, thickness, shape and brittleness, and arrive in random orientation.
Kernels break
A needle that meets a kernel in the wrong place or with too much force splits it; a broken kernel is lost product.
Thread handling
The thread has to pass through every kernel and stay there, with the right tails left for hanging and dipping.
Counting
A string needs a set number of kernels; miscounted strings give uneven products.
The Process the Machine Automates
- 01
Walnut
- 02
Position
- 03
Pierce
- 04
Transfer to thread
- 05
Accumulate
- 06
Finished string
Each step has a check: a kernel that is not positioned, not pierced cleanly or not confirmed on the thread is not counted and is taken out of the string.
Engineering Concept
The architecture under development combines the disciplines DOKTEK already uses on its production machines.
- 01
Singulation and feeding
Bulk kernels are separated and presented one by one.
- 02
Machine vision
A camera checks each kernel and chooses where it can be pierced; unsuitable pieces are rejected before they reach the needle.
- 03
Robotic positioning
A robot places the kernel in a supported nest at the piercing station, so the needle position stays fixed and repeatable.
- 04
Controlled piercing
A servo-driven needle pierces the kernel with a controlled force and travel profile, limiting breakage.
- 05
Thread transfer and accumulation
The thread is carried through the kernel and the kernel is moved along it; confirmed kernels are counted until the string is complete.
- 06
Release
The finished string is released with its tails for hanging and dipping; uncertain strings are set aside.
The thread-transfer method and the piercing profile are the critical items being validated.
Churchkhela, Köme and Walnut Sausage
Churchkhela is made by threading walnut kernels — sometimes hazelnuts or almonds — onto a string and dipping it repeatedly in thickened grape must until it is coated, then drying it. The same product is known in Türkiye as köme or cevizli sucuk, and in English is sometimes called walnut sausage or grape-must candy.
The dipping and drying stages can be batched. Threading cannot, which is why the machine concentrates on it.
What Validation Has to Prove
A threading machine is only useful if it is gentle, reliable and honest in its counting. Validation therefore covers kernel breakage at piercing, reliable thread transfer, correct counting and string release, and sustained operation on representative walnut lots from different suppliers.
Only after those gates are passed are capacity, operator requirement and a configuration for a production line defined.
Food Contact, Cleaning and Safety
The design follows the same principles as DOKTEK's production machines: stainless steel and food-grade plastics at product contact, parts that can be removed for cleaning, and needles and robots working behind interlocked guards.
Churchkhela Around the World: Georgia, Armenia, Cyprus, Türkiye
The product this machine is built for has many names: churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა) in Georgia, where enterprises now make thousands of pieces a day for export; sujukh or sharots (սուջուխ, շարոց) in Armenia; soutzoukos (σουτζούκος) in Cyprus and soutzouki in Greece; cevizli sucuk, köme and pestil köme in Türkiye; чурчхела across Russia and the CIS. Walnuts dominate, with hazelnuts and almonds in some regions. The threading step is the same everywhere, which is why the machine is designed around the kernel, not around one country's recipe.
Supplying Georgia and the Caucasus
DOKTEK FoodTech builds machines for export from Denizli, Türkiye, with documentation in English, the electrical supply specified for the destination country and commissioning agreed per project. Producers in Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Cyprus and Greece are invited to describe their product now, while the machine is being validated, so the first production configuration reflects real strings, real kernels and real daily quantities.
Кратко по-русски: DOKTEK разрабатывает автоматическую машину для прокалывания и нанизывания грецкого ореха на нить для производства чурчхелы. Проект находится на стадии инженерной разработки и валидации; производительность и цена пока не публикуются. Производители чурчхелы могут описать свой продукт на английском или турецком языке.
After Threading: Dipping, Drying and Packaging
Threaded strings go on to dipping and drying, which stay outside this machine's scope. Finished churchkhela is then packed — flow-wrapped, vacuum packed or cased — where DOKTEK's packaging division can supply the downstream machines.
What is confirmed today
Confirmed: DOKTEK is engineering an automatic walnut piercing and threading machine for churchkhela-type products, based on machine vision, robotic positioning and servo-controlled piercing — the technologies used on its production eggplant machine.
Not confirmed, and therefore not published: capacity, breakage rate, operator count, delivery time and price. The drawing on this page is a concept; no photograph or video of the machine is published until real footage exists.
Next step
Discuss Your Product
If you produce churchkhela, köme or other threaded nut products, tell us about your product. It helps DOKTEK validate the machine against real requirements.
- 01Product and nut type
- 02Kernels per string and string length
- 03Thread type
- 04Current daily output and number of operators
- 05Acceptable breakage
- 06Country
Evidence and status
Status
An automation concept under engineering development. Not a finished machine; configured and validated per project.
Listed under: Complete-line engineering
Public evidence
Engineering project under validation. No machine footage, capacity or reference is published yet.
DOKTEK SPECIAL · WALNUT THREADING
Frequently asked questions
Questions before a machine evaluation.
01Is there a machine that makes churchkhela?
The dipping and drying stages are commonly batched, but threading the walnuts onto a string is still largely done by hand. DOKTEK is engineering a machine for that threading step; it is currently an engineering project under validation.
02Can I order a churchkhela walnut stringing machine now?
Not as a finished machine. The project is in engineering and validation. Producers can discuss their product with DOKTEK now, which also helps define the first production configuration.
03How many walnuts per hour will the machine thread?
No capacity is published while the machine is under validation. Throughput depends on how reliably kernels can be pierced and transferred, and is defined only after validation on representative walnuts.
04Does the machine crack walnuts or dip the strings?
No. It starts from shelled kernels and ends with threaded strings. Cracking, shell separation, dipping and drying are outside its scope.
05Do you supply churchkhela machines to Georgia?
DOKTEK builds for export and Georgia is the natural market for this machine. While it is under validation, Georgian producers can send product details and kernel samples for a project review in English; supply terms, voltage and commissioning are specified per project once the machine reaches production status.
06Can other nuts be threaded?
Hazelnuts and almonds are also used in similar products. Whether they can run on the same machine is reviewed per product.
Next step
Request a technical evaluation for your product.
Send a short video of your current process, product photos and your target output. An engineer reviews them and replies with what can be evaluated for your line, before any quotation is made.