GEA has built a freeze-dried instant coffee plant for Tata Coffee Vietnam Company.

Built on a greenfield site in the Binh Duong Province, the Vietnam plant has the capacity to produce 5,000tn of freeze-dried coffee annually.

GEA supplied a complete production line for the project, from roast bean treatment equipment to machines for the packing of the freeze-dried powder.

The company’s line also covered carine extraction, aroma recovery and mechanical vapour recovery (MVR) evaporation, as well as featured a Conrad 600 XL ECO freeze dryer.

"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."

In addition, GEA delivered a pilot plant, which will enable Tata to develop exclusive blends for customers.

GEA coffee and freeze-drying sales head Kim Knudsen said: “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.

“This means we can maintain control and take responsibility for the entire project from start to finish.”

In 2013, GEA built a coffee extraction and evaporation plant in India for Tata Coffee.

In July 2017, the company secured a contract to construct a new milk production facility for Indian company AmulFed Dairy, a unit of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). The plant was designed to produce around 150tn per day of skimmed milk powder and 120tn per day of dairy whitener and baby food. It commenced production last year.