By Glenn A. John

Nearly all people who enjoy coffee come into contact with the Probat-Werke von Gimborn Maschinenfabrik GmbH, as this Emmerich-based enterprise that is rich in tradition enjoys a market share of roughly 7O% of the coffee roaster market. Put another way, out of 10 cups of coffee drunk world-wide, 7 were roasted with equipment made by the PROBAT Group. Probat has been operating globally for decades and is a global leader in the market segment of coffee roasting machines, equipment and plants.

The production of machines has a long tradition at Probat. As early as 1868, the "Emmericher Maschinenfabrik und Eisengießerei van Gülpen, Lensing & von Gimborn" was founded by the merchants Alexius van Gülpen and Johann Heinrich Lensing as well as the engineer Theodor von Gimborn. The development, manufacturing and sale of equipment for turning green coffee into roasted coffee was already a main focus of the founders’ activities. The first global roaster with modern roasting bins was developed in 1870. In 1900, this bestseller roaster had already been sold 50,000 times world-wide. But the founders in Emmerich did not want to put all eggs in one basket. Over time, numerous novelties in roasting technology significantly increased sales figures. Not least, quick drum roasters as well as Series "G" king-size roasters contributed to a sales volume of 100,000 roasters by the year 1938.

Due to the economic situation, the demand for roasters was slow after 1945. Subsequently, quality, durability and capacities of the machines have improved and developed continually through technological progress. In the meantime, the product range encompasses everything from shop to king-size roasters and includes whole roasting plants, industrial grinders, electronic control units, computer control units as well as spare parts.

Despite continuous innovation in coffee processing, the family tradition has remained in place. Until 1993, three managing directors – all three descendents of the founding family – headed the business successively and the founding families still own the company to this day. The fourth managing director that is a mamber of the founding family is Wim Abbing. Abbing has been connected with Probat for the last 10 years and is married to the great-granddaughter of Theodor von Gimborn.

Probat, which has around 600 employees worldwide, continues to flourish despite the current economic downturn affecting any commercial enterprises.

"We see growth from small roasters to larger roasters," he told Tea & Coffee Asia recently. "We saw this sort of growth in the 1950s and 1960s in Japan. People are graduating from smaller to larger roasters. This also follows a trend that occurred earlier in Europe."

In 2009, Probat introduced its Saturn 4000 roaster, which is capable of producing 4,000kg of perfectly roasted coffee every hour. The new roaster joins its smaller 250 kg/hr sister in the market and, together with the existing range or roasters the company offers, provides roasting solutions for roasters of all sizes. The largest roaster in production today is a 5,000kg unit.

"Different markets do trend to graduate from smaller to larger roasters," Abbing told us. "China typically opts for 100-200kg roasters, but in time this will change. It is probably fair to say that China has the most potential, but India is the most interesting market for Probat today. Vietnam and Korea are growing markets for us as well."

To better serve the Indian market, Probat has entered into a joint venture with Mahlkoenig, CMA (the Italian espresso machine manufacturer) and McKinnon India Private Ltd., "Kaapi Machines is an Italian–German-Indo triad company with a view to propel the café culture in the country," according to the company’s website. "Our attempt is to offer world class equipment under single roof there by obviating the necessity of going to multiple importers, suppliers and vendors."

Regional preferences
Coffee is a product that is best processed in the country it is intended to be consumed in, as Abbing reminded us.

"It really doesn’t make sense to roast coffee and ship it around the world," he said." Roasting should be done locally in the region or country or city it is intended to be consumed in, particularly when one considers that different countries prefer different roasting styles, perhaps dark or light. There are many different kind of roasts possible: Scandinavia likes a more acidic taste, Germany prefers a sourer taste, South Europe likes a darker roast. Probat supplies the ideal solution for every preference."

Accordingly, one would expect sales of roasters to continue rising as roast and ground coffee consumption continues to grow, the economic realities prevailing today are affecting sales to some degree, as Abbing admitted, but the future continues to look bright.

"Some smaller installations customers may be delaying the purchase of new equipment, so we can expect an influx of new orders over time the economy brightens up," he said.

Probat, along with grinder specialist Mahlkoenig and espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco, have established a joint venture in Tanzania, where the companies have purchased a coffee farm. The idea is not so much to develop it into a commercial enterprise, although the farm does produce coffee in commercial quantities, but rather to continue learning and appreciating coffee in all its aspects, literally from bean to cup, acquiring knowledge of all the steps required to produce the perfect cup of coffee.

"Through such steps we gain knowledge about growing, processing and brewing coffee," Abbing said. "We take a one-week trip to visit the farm and learn more about production and develop a better overall view of different aspects of coffee."

Probat is at the forefront of the coffee industry and its commitment to pursuing greater knowledge leading to more effective roasting solutions is firmly entrenched in the company, a commitment that will continue to reap rewards under Abbing’s sure hand.