The world-famous Italian coffee producer Lavazza Spa. and its Indian subsidiary Fresh & Honest Café Ltd. have recently signed a new supply contract with Probat, the worldwide leading manufacturer for roasting machines and plants. By mid-2012 a state-of-the-art turnkey plant will be installed and commissioned in Sri City in India. 

In March 2011 a high-ranking delegation of both companies – Lavazza Spa., Italy and Fresh & Honest Café Ltd., India – spent two days at the Probat Headquarters in Emmerich on Rhine, Germany, to finalize the contract. “This is one of the largest single contracts we have ever signed,” reported Rainer van der Beek, director sales and marketing at Probat.

The scope of equipment Probat is to supply includes everything from green coffee receiving, storage systems and two Neptune 1500 roasting machines to three-stage roller mills for the production of ground coffee and capsules. 

“We take pride in Lavazza’s decision for our state-of-the-art technology and their confidence in our expertise in engineering and designing coffee production plants,” van der Beek said. 

Besides the state-of-the-art technology and the high quality of the Probat equipment the stability of value was important for Lavazza. 

“We have been working together with Probat for decades,” acknowledged R. Shivashankar, director South Asia at Lavazza (Fresh & Honest Café Ltd.). “Therefore we understand about the quality, reliability and long-life cycle of their products. Deciding for Probat gives us a high investment security” 

This important investment represents a further confirmation of the progressive internationalization of Lavazza which values India as one of its major world hubs. 

Lavazza has been operating Probat roasting machines and three-stage roller mills in Italy for years. 

 “Lavazza’s choice for Probat as their supplier encourages us in our approach to coffee production and the development of new technologies,” Probat’s managing director Wim Abbing concluded. “We are more than pleased about the development partnership with Lavazza, which recently led to the newly designed roller mill”. 

Abbing additionally points out that even if the order intake in 2011 has been very positive so far, the new Lavazza project has a very high importance to the company.