Coffee
Each year, more than 7 million tons of green coffee beans are produced in the world. 20 % or more of the world’s coffee bean production is processed into high value-added instant coffee products, such as:
The technology used to manufacture canned liquid coffee as well as regular and agglomerated instant coffee has been developed by GEA Niro, and with more than 200 instant coffee plants supplied worldwide, GEA Niro sets the standard for others to follow.
GEA Niro’s turn-key process technology
The turn-key process starts with the granulation/milling of your roasted coffee beans, an important process to ensure that the following extraction gives you the wanted yield and quality of the coffee extract. Depending on your capacity requirements, you can select the GEA Niro CONTEX™ continuous extractor for smaller quantities or the FIC™ (Fast Instant Coffee) extractor for larger capacities. They consist of a number of vertical percolator columns working batch-wise, but combined they produce a high quality coffee extract on a continuous basis.
One fraction of the coffee extract is the aroma and aroma recovery is an important process step in GEA Niro’s process technology. The equipment is designed to recover the volatile aroma fraction so that it is not lost during the subsequent evaporation, but can be remixed into the concentrate so that it remains in the final product.
The coffee concentrate can now be sold as liquid coffee concentrate or further concentrated by drying it to instant coffee powder.
Spray dryers for coffee concentrate have been developed by GEA Niro to produce the type of final powder structure you want – be it a regular type of powder or an agglomerated, free-flowing instant product consisting of agglomerated particles. Should your market demand larger agglomerates, you can re-agglomerate your coffee powder in GEA Niro´s REWET AGGLOMERATOR™.
If you want the premium highest valued instant coffee powder, you should select one of GEA Niro´s Atlas freeze dryers for your coffee concentrate. Before the actual freeze drying takes place, a pretreatment, including cooling, pre-freezing and foaming of the coffee concentrate is needed. The final freezing is done on either a ROTA Freezer or a CAB Freezing Plant. The ROTA Freezer is a space saving, hygienic and easy-to-operate plant that can handle coffee concentrate with up to 35-38 % solids. The CAB Freezing Plant is specially developed for coffee concentrate and makes it possible to reach 45 % solids as well as operating as a 3-step unit – each step with optimal freezing conditions to obtain an even color of the frozen product.
The product is removed as frozen flakes from the pre-freezer. To secure the correct size of the flakes for the subsequent freeze drying, the frozen flakes are granulated and sieved before filled into the trays of the freeze dryer.
Depending on the size of your market, you can select GEA Niro’s RAY™ freeze dryer, which is a batch process used for small capacities, or select the CONRAD™ continuous freeze dryer for larger capacities. Both plants are fully automatic and require minimum manpower for operation.
When the powder leaves the plant, it is ready for final powder packing in cans.
Utility piping, electrical installation, erection and commissioning
These activities are fundamental parts of any turn-key supply from GEA
Niro as well as our skilled Project Management. Last but not least, our expert Product and Process Specialists will participate during finetuning of the plant and training of the plant operators.
Process sections for complete instant coffee powder plants:
Process sections schematics
Typical instant coffee equipment sizes:
Helping you to the best solution
A successful delivery is more than supplying the best plant available. Consumer requirements vary from market to market, and the coffee that commands a premium price in one market may fail completely in another. From a wide range of processing possibilities, we select the best plant type, layout, and operation in order to meet the customer's specifications of the desired product properties.
The proven ability
GEA Niro has maintained its leading position by repeatedly proving our ability to provide reliable and innovative technical solutions for the entire process from
product testing to plant installation and
After Sales support. Our constant dedication to providing cutting-edge quality for our customers is the main reason for us installing more than 200 plants for the coffee industry worldwide.
A complete range GEA Niro supplies solutions for all aspects of successful coffee production, making us the obvious supplier of individual plants as well as complete lines. Our solutions include our own unique technologies as well as equipment from trusted partners in coffee bean handling, roasting, and packing of the finished product.
No matter which plant or process line you choose, you will experience not only an increase in product quality, but also significant cost reductions due to efficient waste treatment and recycle systems.
A partnership of sharing During engineering, commissioning/start-up and after-sales service,e we support our customers in their efforts to increase process profitability. A partnership, where both sides – GEA Niro and the customer – learn about each other and share expertise and new experiences.
A partnership of success
GEA Niro is a resource in every stage of the project. We have the experience and know-how to ensure that all aspects are completed in accordance to the contract and agreed timetable.