Food & Climate
ofi, a global company in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, officially inaugurated its state-of-the-art soluble coffee facility in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil on Friday, May 9th.
The strategic investment strengthens ofi’s position as a top 3 independent producer in the growing global soluble coffee market, projected to reach $52.2 billion by 2031, while creating significant economic impact in Brazil’s premier coffee-growing region.
Located in the heart of Brazil’s Conilon coffee region, the Linhares facility transforms coffee beans sourced from ofi’s coffee units across Brazil into premium soluble products. Serving a global network of customers, the Linhares site has two complete lines of freeze-dried and spray-dried instant coffee, thereby maximizing output and material efficiency, according to the company statement, that seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
Sustainable soluble coffee products
“This inauguration represents a triple win – for local communities, for our customers, and for the environment,” said Vivek Verma, ofi’s Managing Director & CEO, coffee.
“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”.
Brazil is of strategic importance to ofi’s portfolio – with operations across coffee, cocoa and spices having been developed over the past 24 years.
The Linhares site was selected due to the abundant Conilon coffee production in the Espírito Santo region which provides approximately 70% of Brazil’s output- a potential growth driver for the global supply of robusta coffee beans. The site complements ofi’s existing soluble coffee processing facilities in Spain and Vietnam.
Sustainability is built into every aspect of the Linhares operation, in line with ofi’s “Choices for Change” strategy. It is powered by 100% renewable electricity and biomass boilers that convert coffee production waste into energy, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of ofi and its customers. The beans supplied to the facility are fully traceable and the soluble coffee produced from the facility is certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
The facility features cutting-edge technology for producing diverse soluble coffee products, with a state-of-the-art Freeze Dryer that uses energy-efficient methods. It also incorporates ofi’s new soluble coffee innovation center, building on an integrated global network of 19 innovation centers – across ofi’s portfolio of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices.
Renato Casagrande, Governor of Espírito Santo, highlighted the facility’s significance: “The inauguration of ofi’s new soluble coffee factory in Linhares is a milestone for the development of the state of Espírito Santo. It is a modern facility equipped with the 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.”
What is ofi?
ofi (olam food ingredients) is an operating group born out of Olam. It consists of industry businesses of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices.
ofi has built global value chain presence including its own farming operations, farm-gate origination, and manufacturing facilities. ofi partners with customers, leveraging its complementary portfolio of ‘on-trend’ food products, to co-create solutions that anticipate and meet changing consumer preferences as demand increases for healthier food that’s traceable and sustainable.
Olam Group is a food and agri-business supplying food, ingredients, feed and fibre to almost 22,000 customers worldwide. Its value chain spans over 60 countries and includes farming, processing and distribution operations, as well as a global network of farmers.
“Through our purpose to ‘Re-imagine Global Agriculture and Food Systems’, Olam Group aims to address the many challenges involved in meeting the needs of a growing global population, while achieving positive impact for farming communities, our planet and all our stakeholders”, according to the company website.
Headquartered and listed in Singapore, Olam Group currently ranks among the top 30 largest primary listed companies in terms of market capitalisation on SGX-ST. Since June 2020, Olam Group has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a global sustainable investment index series developed by FTSE Russell, following a rigorous assessment of Olam’s supply chain activities, impact on the environment and governance transparency, according to “Asia Journal”.