GEA builds Tata Coffee plant in Vietnam

Tata Coffee Vietnam Company Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Coffee, recently unveiled its new freeze-dried instant coffee plant in Vietnam, which was built by GEA.

Located in the Binh Duong Province, the plant produces 5000 metric tonnes/year of freeze-dried coffee.

GEA supplied the entire production line from roast bean treatment through to the packing of the freeze-dried powder. This included: CARINE extraction which operates at optimal conditions, using precisely developed extraction times to obtain high yields; aroma recovery; mechanical vapour recovery (MVR) evaporation; and a CONRAD 600 XL ECO freeze dryer for continuous operation with minimal energy consumption.

It also supplied a complete pilot plant for Tata to develop exclusive blends for customers.

“This type of project is ideal for us at GEA because our expertise and scope of supply allows us to build the entire coffee line using our own resources,” said Kim Knudsen, Head of Sales, Coffee and Freeze Drying at GEA. “This means we can maintain control and take responsibility for the entire project from start to finish.”

Grand opening ceremony of the state-of-the-art freeze-dried coffee production plant in Vietnam on 6 March 2019. Credit: Tata Coffee Ltd.

The site has been certified for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and is expecting BRC (British Retail Consortium) certification shortly.

It is Tata Coffee’s third manufacturing plant, after Theni and Toopran in India. Managing Director and CEO Sanjiv Sarin said, “Tata Coffee Vietnam marks our first foray beyond Indian shores as a manufacturer of premium Freeze-Dried Coffee — and is a significant milestone in our journey to becoming a global coffee major.”

Top image: ©Africa Studio/Dollar Photo Club