A new soluble coffee facility in Linhares, Brazil, has been opened by global food and beverage company ofi (olam food ingredients).
The 53,000 square-metre facility will employ 300 people permanently to produce soluble coffee products including spray-dried, freeze-dried, and liquid concentrates.
The Linhares site was selected due to the Espírito Santo’s rich coffee supply. The region accounts for approximately 70 per cent of Brazil’s total coffee output.
The business already operates a pair of existing facilities in Spain and Vietnam, but ofi Managing Director and CEO, Coffee, Vivek Verma says opening a new facility in Brazil has strengthened the business’ coffee supply chains.
“This inauguration represents a triple win – for local communities, for customers, and for the environment,” Verma says.
“By processing coffee at the source, we’re strengthening our integrated supply chain and farmer partnerships to deliver traceable, sustainable soluble coffee products to our customers.
“A strengthened innovation infrastructure focusing on value-added coffee products will build growth opportunities in South and North America, while also serving consumption markets in Europe and Asia.”
In addition to reducing transport emissions, ofi’s new Linhares facility has been constructed to meet the business’ Choices for Change sustainability strategy. It is powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity and biomass boilers that convert waste into energy.
The beans supplied to the facility are also fully traceable and the soluble coffee produced from the facility is certified by Rainforest Alliance.
Governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, has welcomed the new facility’s operation in Linhares.
“The inauguration of ofi’s new soluble coffee factory in Linhares is a milestone for the development of the state of Espirito Santo,” Casagrande says.
“It is a modern facility equipped with our best available technology to produce freeze-dried and spray-dried soluble coffee. Our state takes great pride in welcoming sustainable and cutting-edge ventures like this one.”
The new facility will join ofi’s integrated global network of 19 ‘innovation centres’ across the company’s portfolio of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices.
